


Blue Demon

by CrestfallenCrest27



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Ao Oni AU, Gore, Horror, If you've seen Heta Oni as well then there's some inspiration from that too, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, So much angst, just not enough to tag the actual relationship, minicat and terrorknuckle doesn't start until chapter 18, more tags to come, only in flashbacks though, slight delirious/cartoonz, there's a lot of those though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-07 16:04:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 72,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10364289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrestfallenCrest27/pseuds/CrestfallenCrest27
Summary: Vanoss, Delirious and Bryce each wake up in the middle of a large, abandoned mansion with no memories of anything aside from their names-- Or what they assume is their name. What they first believe is a kidnapping, turns out to be something else entirely when they come across a creature more horrifying than any old kidnapper could be.So, now they have to try and find their way out, while also trying to get answers from the mysterious man in the bunny hoodie, who seems to be the only guy with even the SLIGHTEST idea of what's going on.--INDEFINITE HIATUS--





	1. Prolouge - Once More

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, Crest here with a little bit of intel on this. I've been wanting to do an Ao Oni AU of something for a long time (and mix it up with some Heta Oni ideas as well) and I felt like the BBS crew (or four favorites in particular) would fit for it quite nicely. 
> 
> This is my first BBS fic and my first AO3 fic in general (and im still trying to figure out how the website works) so if you guys find any mistakes, please lemme know and i'll try to figure out how to fix it. 
> 
> As for the story, I'm not gonna lie, kinda making it up as I go but those are usual my best stories so bare with me if stuff seems... plot-hole-y. But, I got a bunch of chapters done already and a lot lot more to go, so i hope you enjoy the prolouge!

_A torch crackled loudly in the corner of the small dark room, illuminating the room with a dim orange light. Ash fell to the floor silently, leaving the torch's remains scattered on the floor around it. The room, once filled with a deafening silence, was now holding in sounds of labored breathing, and a pen scribbling on paper._

_Finally, the pen dropped to the floor with a small 'clink'._

_A man sat alone in the dimly lit room with short and weak breaths leaving his mouth. He held the paper up to the torch to squint at what he had written on the wrinkled sheet of paper before letting out a sigh of relief at the fact that the name-- HIS name-- that he had written on the paper was legible._

_With that settled, he let out a pained groan as he pushed himself up to his feet, watching as a dark red liquid ran from his shoulder down his arm until it dripped from his finger tips. That arm was useless now, with it being all broken and bloody like so. But it was fine. It wouldn't be like that for much longer, after all._

_Everything had to go right this time. Just one more try._

_"Just... Just one more try... One more..." He whispered to himself, staring at his objective across the room._

_In the small room stood a small altar, which held a book that seemed centuries old, at the very least. It seemed barely touched and the man knew exactly why. Few people, if any, ever got this far._

_As he stumbled his way towards the book, paper clenched tightly in his only good hand, he hesitated when he heard a loud knocking outside the room. Chills ran down his spine, his face went hot and his legs felt weak._

_But he refused to look back._

_He opened the book in front of his to the very end of the page and pushed his very own page into the book and almost like magic, the paper fused into the book, adding yet another page into the dusty old tome._

_He grabbed for the nearby torch without sparing a moment._

_The door creaked opened behind him._

_He set the book aflame and watched as it reduced to ash._

_The torch went out and he closed his eyes tightly._

_All that remained in the small room was a deafening silence and a swallowing darkness._


	2. Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, NOW here's chapter one : D If you wanna get technical, anyway.

Vanoss was startled awake by the sounds of creaking floorboards, someone grunting and the feeling of someone trying to grab him and pull him up.

Trying was the keyword here.

He screamed out and swung his arm out in a panic, nearly knocking his assailant over with his flailing. Vanoss earned a scream in return followed by a shove from the one who had been attempting to pull him to his feet. "What the hell, man?! Jesus, I was just trying to wake you up!"

"Huh--!?" He was slowly breaking out of his slight panicked daze of being woke up in such a way before finally getting a look at the man screaming at him. Brown hair, short cut with pale skin and striking blue eyes that went quite well with the blue hoodie he wore. Quite slender too, a lot more shrimpy that he, himself, was.

Why he thought he could pick him up was beyond Vanoss.

"What's your problem anyway, jeez!" The mystery man spoke again, and Vanoss immediately took notice and interest in his voice. The slight slur he heard there? It was unique, that was for sure.

"What's my problem?" He finally answered, frowning as he repeated the question. "What's your problem? Why would you pick someone up in their sleep?!"

"You-- You were sleeping in the middle of the hall!"

"But you could've just shook me awake-- Wait what?" Vanoss blinked, finally registering the man's words and finally registering his surroundings.

He was indeed in the middle of a hallway, which was lit up nicely, and held many doors and a set of staircases, one which led down and the other which led up. All in all, it was clean and neat and seemed in perfect condition. And yet, that's not what bothered the black haired man.

"Where... am I?" He asked, eyes widening as he glanced around himself, trying to remember just where he was. "How did I get here?"

The mystery man had been watching him hopefully, until the questions left Vanoss' mouth. Suddenly, his expression fell into a frown before he spoke again, in a defeated voice. "You don't know either? I was hoping you would fuckin' know where we are..."

Vanoss focused back on the other before struggling to try and remember... and yet.. nothing came to mind. Absolutely nothing. Nothing about this place, nothing about his family or himself... The only thing he could remember was the name Vanoss. That was his name, right? It was such a weird name but it was the only word he could remember.

His name was Vanoss. "I don't-- I don't know where we are, sorry man." He eyed a red mark appearing on the other's cheek and cringed a little. Oops. "...Uh. Sorry about hitting you too. You really did scare the shit outta me. I'm Vanoss, by the way. I guess."

The other raised and eyebrow before running a hand against the redness on his cheek. "Eh. Whatever, it won't bruise. Maybe. I got excited when I saw someone else in this crazy house." He paused and then offered a small smile. "Uh. My name is Delirious-- I think. I dunno, I woke up in the kitchen and the only thing I remembered was that. Probably a weird name--"

"Definitely a weird name." Vanoss interjected.

"PROBABLY," He paused, shooting a glare at Vanoss, who could only smile innocently in return."...a weird name. BUT it was the only thing I could remember, like I said, so I just said _'Fuck it, my head hurts too much to think this through. My name is Delirious now.'_ "

"Fine by me." Vanoss shrugged, moving towards the staircase that led downstairs, curiosity overtaking him. "How long have you been here?

"Uhh... Not long. Thirty minutes?" Delirious pondered it for a moment, as Vanoss looked back at him. "I have a cellphone, but the clock hasn't changed since I woke up. Tried looking through my contacts and shit but it's completely empty. Doesn't have a signal either."

Vanoss' briefly reached into the pocket of his red jacket, digging around to try and find something like a phone or a watch or something-- anything. But no dice. They were empty aside from a paper clip. "Damn, I don't have shit. What the fuck me?"

Delirious laughed a little, and Vanoss immediately took notice of it. The laugh was oddly familiar, though he didn't know why. Maybe it would come to him later. Hopefully."So... what all did you check downstairs?"

Delirious frowned and immediately Vanoss knew that the poor guy didn't find much, if anything at all. "Checked out the kitchen and found like. One dish. And the water wasn't working at all. I looked out the windows, and saw that we're in a forest, it looks like."

Vanoss nodded and started climbing down the stairs, with Delirious hot on his heels. The blue dressed man continued. "I tried the front door first, like a GENTLEMAN of course, but it didn't budge. At all. I tried opening it for a long while with no luck. So I grabbed a chair from the kitchen and tried to break a window but that didn't work either. There are four other rooms on the first floor, but only one was unlocked."

"And what was in that?" Vanoss peeked over his shoulder as the arrived on the bottom floor. His chest was already sinking at the mention of the front door being locked and unbreakable windows. Who the fuck brought them here?! What did they want?!

"A library." Delirious gestured towards the nearby hallway that stood to their left. "I wanted to explore the other floors before I sat down to read. It was really cold in there though."

The rest of the house seemed to be room temperature, but so what? Maybe they had the A/C on in the library? Maybe whoever did this crazy shit and locked them in this giant, creaking house liked to read in the cold? A lovely thought, that was. Their potential kidnapper reading in an ice cold room.

"You have a hoodie, you'll be fine. Let's at least peek around the library to see what we can find. Maybe there's an exit." Vanoss lowered his voice a little, sparing one more glance towards the stairs before heading down the hall. "If we find nothing, then we'll go upstairs and maybe find the fucker who brought us here and maybe beat some answers out of him."

"That will be easier for you, maybe." Delirious let out a snort as he eyed Vanoss' muscles. "You can beat him up, I'll just punch him in the dick."

"Good plan, buddy."

* * *

  
The first thing Bryce took note of was how soft the bed beneath him was. As far as he could remember, this was the softest bed he had ever had the pleasure of laying in. That was the second thing he took note of. He couldn't remember anything side from his name. That kinda put the whole 'Softest bed' title that he had graciously given the bed into a poor perspective.

He was sure the bed wouldn't mind though, considering it was an inanimate object.

The third thing Bryce noticed was how groggy he was as he sat up from the bed. His head ached mercilessly and throbbed constantly and struggling to remember who he was or where he was didn't help at all.

Finally, in an attempt to get some light on the situation, he began to examine the room. It was a nice and cozy little bed room. Two beds placed beside each other against the wall, with a desk sitting across the room from him with a lamp that shone brightly sitting on top. There was no carpet or anything of the sort on the wooden floor and to Bryce, it almost made the room seem bare.

Beside the desk, a bookshelf and a small closet sat in the corner, so he immediately climbed from his bed in favor of scanning through the books.

Nothing stuck out to him, unfortunately. A lot of it were fiction books or written in a language that he couldn't read. Whoever lived here seemed to be foreigners, probably. There were a few spots that were empty as if someone had recently pulled a book from there but that knowledge wouldn't help Bryce for now.

He glanced towards the door and considered leaving but something else caught his attention. The bed that he woke up on-- A light was seen peeking out from under the bed and Bryce immediately wanted to investigate it before leaving the room.

He hurried over to the bed and sat down on his knees. He was still a little too weak and groggy to push the bed and right now, he didn't want to make too much noise until he had a better handle on the situation... whatever the situation was.

So, with that decision in mind, he began to crawl under the bed, immediately noticing that the light was indeed a giant hole in the floor, which led to a small, white room below.  
When he says white room, he totally means it too. The walls and floor were bleach white, not a stain to be seen and in the middle of the room sat an old, giant piano. It confused Bryce. After all, that's such a waste of a room as well. Why not put in other furniture?

Before he could get too into his mental complaints about furnishing decisions, though, someone walked past the piano below and suddenly, Bryce's breath caught in his throat as he was careful not to make a peep.

The man in question was odd indeed. His white hoodie blended in with the area below, and only his jeans, shoes and the giant ohm sign on the hoodie stuck out... And also... the bunny ears that were sticking out of the hood that he used to cover his head and more importantly his face.

The hoodie was adorable, Bryce noted, and he felt like the man wasn't a danger in the slightest. And yet, he dared not say a word and instead just watched as the man left the room in a hurry and without a word. And suddenly the room was empty again.

Bryce waited for a moment, frowning to himself as he tried to piece things together and finally, he crawled out from under the bed and turned his stare towards the door.

He needed more information.


	3. A Memory - If Only He Knew...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is one of the many memories that you're probably gonna see. There's a wild ride coming up in future chapters so I hope you enjoy! <3

_Ryan stares up at the giant mansion with anticipation softly written on his face. With his bag secure on his shoulder, and his car locked up tight, he glanced back towards his company with a small grin._

_"Well, this is it, isn't it?" He remarks playfully, eyeing Jonathan for a confirmation._

_Jon nodded, eyes filled with awe at the mansion in front of them. Ryan couldn't blame him. It was gigantic and it loomed over them in a way that was almost intimidating. Especially after hearing all of the ghost stories involved around it. The perfect place to be forced to spend the night at after losing a bet._

_"Man... Still can't believe we lost that bet to Tyler and the others..." Evan piped up, lamenting the loss with a sigh. "I never wanted to come five miles near this place."_

_Jon let out a small giggle at that, earning a smack on the arm from Evan. "Evaaan is scared, Evaaan is scared.~" He began to sing, earning yet another smack on the arm. Ryan was going to see a lot of those tonight, he was sure of it._

_"...The yard is in surprisingly good shape though." Another voice popped up, gaining Ryan's attention. Bryce walked over to stand next to him, backpack strapped onto him securely. "...y'know, for a place that's supposed to be abandoned and all..."_

_"I doubt it's really haunted, Bryce." Ryan smiled, nudging him in the side with his arm. "I'm sure some official whoevers come down here sometimes to keep the yard all cleaned up and keep away vandalizers. The place is super ancient, after all."_

_"Boooo! Ryan's ruining the spooky spirit!!" Jon booed, waving a small fist at the taller man, who could only laugh._

_"I'm sooorryyy.." He chuckled before motioning to the door. "C'mon, let's get inside and get all set up before it gets too dark to see."_

_"Alrighty!"_

_"Fiiine..."_

_"Let's go! This is gonna be so fucking great!"_

* * *

  
_Ryan was surprised to find the power running throughout the building. It only further proved his point that the place wasn't that abandoned and was likely cared for by the community. He took great care not to bring that up to Jonathan again. The guy was superhyped about spending the night in a haunted mansion. Maybe he could convince Evan to scare him later tonight. If Evan wasn't already planning that already._

_"It's... really clean." Bryce commented, looking towards Ryan again, who only shrugged in response._

_"Maybe the ghosties like cleaning, Bryce. Huh? Ya ever thought of that?" Jon crossed his arms in mock offense at the younger man._

_"Oh great, ghost vacuum cleaners. My favorite." Evan shoved his hands into his pockets and took a step towards Jonathan as he carefully looked around the hall they stood in._

_"Maybe we can get one on video." Ryan snickered as he placed his bag down on the floor. His actions were soon copied by his friends. "Well, since this place has power, we won't have to worry about using those flashlights to set up our sleeping bags. Maybe one of the bedrooms will be unlocked too."_

_"If it has power, maybe the stove will have gas or something." Bryce perked up at the idea. "We can roast marshmallows or something."_

_"Over a stove?" Evan blinked before letting out a scoff. "I'd rather have a fire, honestly. I like my marshmallows a little burnt anyway."_

_"That's just cuz' you're gross." Jon piped up earning a fake glare from Evan._

_"Excuse me!"_

_Before Jon could retaliate the lame comeback, a sound of glass shattering down the hall was heard, earning a startled yelp from the group. They sat in a stunned silence for a moment, realizing that the glass breaking was likely in another room down the hall. And then, they exchanged worried glances._

_"What the fuck was that...?" Jon whispered, voice breaking for a moment._

_Evan stepped closer to Jon and tried to peek down the hall. "...No fucking clue... Did someone break a window down there?"_

_"I... don't know." Bryce answered, eyes wide with fear as he looked towards Ryan. "M-Maybe it's Tyler or... Craig? Craig wouldn't do that-- Maybe Marcel?"_

_"..Maybe... They've been trying to bug us out before the trip all day today." Ryan frowned, as he slowly made his way down the hall, towards the room in question._

_"Ryan--!" Bryce whined, stepping after him but only stopping when Ryan held out a hand._

_"Bryce, it's fine, really. You guys hang out here while I go see what broke. I'll be right back, promise. I'll be literally right down the hall."_

_"Oh my god, Ryan's gonna fucking die." Jonathan whimpered as Ryan rolled his eyes at him before flipping him off._

_"Oh, fuck you. I'll be fine." He huffed out the words before making his way down the hall, towards the room in question. God, if only he knew what awaited him._

_God, if only he knew. If only he knew..._


	4. Demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might start making these chapters longer, otherwise this story is gonna be fourty chapters long. I've still got a few chapters already written out but the ones after those, i might try my hardest to make longer x-x Sorry!! But hey, enjoy this chapter! I'll probably post the next memory later tonight. Also, sorry for any mistakes! I don't have a beta reader and tbh this is one of the first fics i've written and posted in SOOOO long. - Crest <3

The library, like Delirious had said, was cold as fuck.

Vanoss didn't really doubt him, of course. Why would he lie about a room's temperature anyway? Especially when there were other things to worry about. But still, Vanoss couldn't help but notice the room chilling him to the very bone the moment they walked in.

Just like the rest of the house, it was lit up nicely. Bright enough to read a few books and not go blind from straining your eyes. The room, however, was quite large and for good reason as well, since it held multiple bookcases which were entirely filled with books. Obviously. But, luckily for the two of them, no one else seemed to be in the room except for the two of them.

Delirious seemed relieved at that, quickly closing the door behind him with a small click before looking towards Vanoss. "What are we hoping to find in here anyway? I'm not interested in renting a library book. I don't have my library card either."

"You have a library card?" Vanoss lifted an eyebrow, moving towards a bookcase and letting his eyes scan the titles.

"Fuck if I know. Can't remember shit, remember?"

"No." Vanoss deadpanned.

"Exactly." Delirious dropped the conversation immediately in favor of investigating a rather large table next to the wall of the library. "Holy shit, what a mess..."

Books and papers were scattered across the table as if put there in a panic. Nothing on the table was organized in the very least and it was enough of a mess to gain Vanoss' curiosity. He wandered over to stand next to Delirious, and began to look through the papers carefully. A lot of it were just notes written in a quick scribble, with words circled here and there.

" _'Rooms lock up each time.'_ " Vanoss started reading the notes, trying to make sense of them. " _'Keys are everywhere if you know where to look. I'll write it down later.'_ "

Delirious furrowed his eyebrows and looked over the notes as well. " _'Clocks have stopped working, not sure if they stopped when we showed up. Could have been after. May very well be my fault. No way of telling.'_ " He paused and flipped the note over as if trying to find something else but seemed disappointed when nothing on the note was found. "What the fuck does that even mean?"

Vanoss shuffled through the notes as he tried to push away the feeling of dread that slowly inched through his chest. "I-I don't know. Is it not just us? Is someone else here?" He put down the note in his hands and turned to Delirious, worry clear in his eyes. Delirious looked back and there was a moment of understanding between them. Unspoken words that struck fear into their chest.

Is someone else here? Or WAS there someone else here?

The way the notes were written, they were written in a hurry. Whoever was writing them knew that he had to write them quick or not at all. But who? Who was here? Who was after them? Were they next?

The house creaked, causing Delirious' hand to shoot forward and grab Vanoss by the sleeve, urgently. The noise was sudden, quick and if the two hadn't of known any better then it could have easily been mistaken for the house just settling. But it was too quick and sudden for it to just be settling.

And to confirm their fears, the noise was heard again, right outside the door.

"V...Vanoss, someone is outside the room." Delirious swallowed hard, letting the choked whisper leave his mouth. "Those... um... Those are footsteps. I know they are-- they--"

Vanoss shushed him and quietly pulled out a chair before climbing under the table itself. Delirious looked at him like he was insane but a quick gesture from Vanoss that screamed _'It's either this or nothing!!'_ , Delirious was quick to join Vanoss under the table.

The two of them pressed themselves against the wall, clinging to the other's arm as they kept their eyes glued to the door. Maybe whoever was about to walk in would be at just enough height to miss the two boys hiding under the table.

After a moment of silence, the library door opened with a long and loud creak, and the before silent room was now filled with the sound of heavy breathing that sent goosebumps down their skin. And then he-- ... It.. came into view.

Vanoss gave a sharp intake of breath when a pair of hideously deformed and large blue legs stopped beside the table. They were huge-- buff even and Vanoss knew that whatever just walked into the room was NOT human. If it was, it was mutated as fuck. And that was just by looking at the legs.

The heavy breathing got louder as the... thing began walking around the room as if looking for something. Vanoss chanced a glance at Delirious, to see him covering his own mouth with his hands with wide eyes fixed on the creature exploring the room. Vanoss was trembling but still, he held onto Delirious, looking back at the creature as he walked towards a corner on the opposite side of the room.

From that angle, Vanoss got to see more of it, and he really wished he didn't. Whatever that thing was, it was hideous. It's upper body was far too large, it's head especially. The thing looked like it could break you in half with it's own hands and it's head just looked uneven and deformed. It had just a little bit of black hair on it's head and with a closer look, it may have had a hunched over back.

The most obvious thing about it though? It's entire body was bare, rough and blue. And Vanoss hated it.

Finally, but not soon enough for them, the creature decided that the library wasn't worth it's time anymore and immediately headed for the door. Vanoss and Delirious both held their breath, and watched as the monster left the room, letting the door shut firmly behind it. They waited for another eternity before Vanoss looked over at Delirious and slowly urged him to put his hands down.

"I-It's gone..." He whispered but that didn't stop Delirious from flying straight into a panic.

"What the fuck was that, Vanoss?" He wanted to yell, wanted to scream but all that came out were choked words, which Vanoss became grateful for. He wasn't sure if the monster was truly gone, after all. "Tell me, what the fuck was that?! What the fuck is going on?!"

"I-I don't--" Vanoss stammered, quickly trying to come up with an answer but nothing came to him. Nothing. "I don't... I don't know... Holy shit, that thing was horrifying."

"That thing was a fucking monster! Is that what brought us here, Vanoss?! Is it?!"

Vanoss squeezed Delirious' arm, still trembling heavily from the whole event and he could only shake his head. "I don't fucking know-- But-- But yelling won't make it go away. Shut the fuck up, Delirious, or it might come back!"

Delirious immediately fell silent, mouth shutting instantly as he eyed the door with fearful eyes. Vanoss followed his gaze, scooting towards Delirious again, trying to stay as close to the other as possible.

"...I wanna go home, Vanoss..."

"Same, Delirious... I wanna go home too..."

He still couldn't remember what his home was even like. He could bet that Delirious was the same...

* * *

  
Bryce soon discovered that he was on what seemed to be the third story of the house. Not that it was much to fuss about, really. It only had two rooms and a small hallway. And even then, the only other room on the third floor was locked and from the looks of it, the key was nowhere on the third floor.

So he had no choice but to leave the safety of his floor and move down to the second floor. The same floor where the piano room was, and where the man in the bunny hood was seen. He must have gone into one of the rooms on this floor, Bryce figured, seeing as he wasn't in the hallway. He was only half-way grateful for that.

"I wonder why he was in the piano room, though...?" He whispered to himself, moving down the hall, stopping when he came to a part way. If he went straight, he was sure to make it to the piano room and curiosity was getting the better of him. He wanted to know what the bunny man was up to, and since he had no other leads at the moment, it seemed like the best idea at the time.

Until he tried the door and found it to be locked. Okay, a bit unnecessary, bunny man, but understandable, maybe. He sighed in defeat only to hear a door open up and then slam closed down the other hall. Perking up immediately, he hurried over to peek around the corner, only to see no one.

"Did... he go into one of those rooms?" He wondered briefly, before making his move to one of the doors. Should he really go barging into rooms in search of some crazy guy wearing a bunny hoodie? Was it such a good idea?

Yes. It was a great idea. At the very least, Bryce would have the advantage, knowing exactly what he was getting into. He would surprise the guy and if it came down to it, he'd know to defend himself at least, if the guy attacked. All in all, it would at least give him something to move forward with... and that would be learning if bunny man was friend or foe.

With that logic in mind, he pushed the door open quickly and shouted out a quick "Hey!!" to intimidate anyone within the room... as much as someone like him could intimidate someone.

At the corner of the room, bunny man stood next to an open closet and he spun around to face Bryce in shock. Bryce frowned, a bit disappointed that the hood still shielded his eyes but from what he could see, the bunny man was staring at him in shock. "Wh--What are you--?" He stammered out, taking a small step back near the closet.

Bryce felt a little prideful that he caught the bunny man off guard but then his behavior caused Bryce to feel a little bad. What if bunny man was lost like he was? But then again, who gets lost in a mansion? "Who are you? What are you doing?!" He finally demanded, taking a step forward.

Bunny man hesitated at the question for a moment before he glanced past Bryce, into the hall. "What-- Bryce! You didn't see him?!" Suddenly, the bunny man stepped forward, more urgently than Bryce was himself.

Bryce blinked and suddenly found himself being caught off guard. How did this guy know his name? Who the fuck was he? And what _'him'_ was he talking about? Bryce's arms, which were currently on his hips to make himself seem bigger, suddenly fell to his side as he frowned at bunny man.

"What? What are you talking about? How do you know my name?"

Instead of answering, Bunny man eyed something beyond Bryce and suddenly reached out towards him and screamed. "GOD DAMMIT, BRYCE, MOVE!"

Before Bryce could respond, his arm was grabbed by Bunny man and he was pulled away, just in time to feel something whoosh by his head. As he was pulled away by Bunny man, Bryce looked back to see what exactly he was being pulled away from and, God...

God...

He regretted looking back.

He regretted looked back at the deformed blue monster with a head larger than Bryce's entire body, staring at them with large and empty eyes with it's jaw seemingly unhinged as it bears it's teeth at the two of them. Bunny man had likely saved him from getting his own head snapped off by the thing's mouth but now...

...Now they were trapped in the room with nowhere to go. The monster was blocking the door. Bryce suddenly regretted leaving his room.


	5. Memory 2 - They Were Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I think my schedule for this so far (if I can help it) is one chapter, one memory chapter, if there is one. That might change if I get lazy. But like chapters, I hope I can start making these a little longer, but not too much longer. I do like them being a little brief but -shrugs-!!!

_They were missing._

_The only thing that Ryan found in the kitchen was a broken plate and nothing else. It was strange that the plate had fallen and broken itself the moment they got here, but seeing nothing else in the room that seemed out of the ordinary, he thought nothing else of it. It was just a broken plate after all, so he saw no reason to stress over it. As he left the kitchen, he stumbled a little as the carpet that laid underneath the dining table caught his foot. Regaining his composure, he cursed at himself with little malice before leaving.  
_

_They were missing._

_He went back to report the incident to Jonathan, Evan and Bryce, shoving his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. Evan and Bryce would probably laugh it off, nervously maybe, but they would likely forget about it by the time night falls. Jonathan would likely accuse the ghosts of the building and get excited about it. Might as well let the guy have his fun, Ryan supposed. Glancing over, he noticed a door open with a slight crack. Taking a peek in, he could see endless bookshelves, neat as could be. A library was always interesting but was this door open before?  
_

_They were missing._

_When Ryan returned to the front door, his three friends were gone. Again, he didn't think much of it, except that they had left him behind to investigate a strange noise all by himself while they likely went to go call dibs on the nicest beds in the house. What wonderful friends he had. With a sigh, he had gone upstairs to probably try and scare the hell out of them. As he ran his hand over the railing of the staircases, he thought he felt his fingers brush against something. He paused before continuing his path, just chalking it up to the the carved designs on the railing.  
_

_They were missing._

_They were missing. He checked most of the rooms that were unlocked and yet he couldn't find a single trace of his three friends. He began to have a bad feeling but he refused to acknowledge it. Not yet anyway. They could still be pulling a prank or something. They could be hiding or something, waiting to pounce out at him and scream out 'Surprise!'. There were still many doors that were locked up that they could have opened and hid themselves in. Plus, there was still an entire section downstairs that he didn't check yet. He couldn't start panicking now.  
_

_So, he continued searching, making his way back down to the first floor. He walked down the hall opposite of the kitchen and library and came across two other doors, one being see-through. And wouldn't ya know it, he could see a silhouette on the other side of the door. It was rather large, but he thought nothing of it. After all, the room behind the door couldn't be that big, so Jonathan, Evan and Bryce had probably gotten all bunched up together to make the effort to scare him._

_He chuckled to himself, as he reached for the door knob with a laugh. "Haha, alright you guys, enough playing around." He smiled, opening the door fully. "Can we please just go get our beds... set..." He trailed off as he stared up at a large blue mass staring down at him. It's skin looked as rough as sandpaper and it's hands the size of Ryan's head clenched and unclenched. The dark, soulless eyes stared deep into Ryan's soul and for once, he was paralyzed. Paralyzed by those eyes, paralyzed with fear. What the fuck was this thing?_

_What the fuck was this thing?!_

_"Guys...?"_

_It stepped forward, unhinging it's mouth as it let a gross, foul smelling and yellow looking liquid fall from it's teeth. What was this?!_

_"Guys...?!"_

_He managed to take a step back, just in time for the creature to lean forward, and reach out towards Ryan's neck with those giant hands. And then something inside of Ryan's head snapped and suddenly, the two of them moved at once._

_"GUYS!!" Ryan shrieked out as he shot off in a sprint towards the stairs, just dodging the creature launching itself at the spot where Ryan had been standing just seconds ago. The chase began, with Ryan sprinting upstairs as fast as his legs could carry him. But he could hear the creature's breathing. He could hear the loud footsteps pounding behind him. He thought he heard footsteps nearby but at the moment, it didn't matter. That monster was after him and him alone._

_Ryan dived into a room and slammed the door behind him. He had to think fast and that he did, though once he managed to dive into the small closet that sat next to a desk and shut the doors, he couldn't help but mentally scream at himself for it. If that monster could smell him and found Ryan in the closet, then it was over. He was dead, for sure._   
_Ryan curled up inside the closet and went dead silent as the door to the room opened with a slam, and suddenly all he heard was the heavy breathing and the drip of liquid hitting the floor. And it stayed like that for what seemed like forever. It was hunting for him, he was sure. It KNEW that he came into this room. It KNEW._

_Finally, the breathing came closer to the closet and Ryan's breath hitched. That was a mistake. It paused and then it stepped closer and closer and Ryan thought his heart would give out..._

_...But then there was the sound of something hard hitting the floor, followed by a familiar voice shouting. "HEY! YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU SON OF A BITCH."_   
_Jonathan._

_That voice was Jonathan._

_Ryan suddenly wanted to burst out of the closet, run for his friend and make a run for it. But he couldn't move, he couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything. Except sit and listen as the creature in front of the closet let out a eery moan before it began it's pursuit for Jonathan, who let out a startled shout and began to run._

_Once the footsteps faded, Ryan sat alone in his closet, breathing heavily as he processed the event that happened._

_None of it was making sense but he knew-- he couldn't take the chance of thinking this was a prank anymore. The voice that Jonathan used-- the tone he had-- That was a serious tone. If this was all a joke, Jonathan wouldn't be able to keep a straight enough head to sound so serious. He would be erupting into giggles before falling to the ground in tears over how scared Ryan had gotten... but no. He was in danger. Evan and Bryce were in danger too. They were all in danger._

_With a deep breath, he forced himself to leave the closet, and stood in his room, alone._

_"...I.. need to find everyone else..." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around himself, before hurrying out of the room, praying that he wasn't too late to find Jonathan. And he would later curse himself for not noticing a gleam of a key sitting in the seat of the chair that was securely pushed under the desk.  
_


	6. Ohm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT! After the next memory chapter, my updates are gonna slow down a bit, since i'm still not done with the next chapter. The reason I was updating so fast was because I already had the last few chapters done during the time I was waiting for the Ao3 queue to let me register my account. So sorry in advance but I'm trying to get the other chapter done asap. <3 Crest.

Bryce felt like he was staring at the Hell Incarnate itself.

The monster that stood in the way of the only exit slowly trudged towards them, mouth dripping with saliva and it's head tilting in a sickening way that made his stomach churn in fear. Bunny man's hand was still gripped tightly around Bryce's wrist and he even moved to stand between him and the demon in front of him, as if ready to take a hit for the boy, despite Bryce just meeting him seconds ago.

God, Bryce hoped that they both got out of this alive, because, boy, he had a lot of questions for this guy that needed answered.

"Bryce..." Bunny man suddenly spoke up in nothing above a whisper. He didn't take his eyes off of the creature and neither did Bryce. "Get ready to move. Once it pounces, we're taking the chance to jump out of the way and running for it."

Bryce let out a small whimper at the idea and he swore that Bunny man squeezed his wrist in response but he didn't point it out, yet. "W..Where are we going? That thing looks like it could bust down any door in this house!"

"But it won't." His answer was short and curt and it definitely brought more questions into Bryce's head. "We'll go upstairs but... just... trust me. Please."

"...Mmhm." The hesitant agreement was just as short and with another squeeze from Bunny man's hand, they were ready to move.

They waited for what seemed like forever, and to Bryce, it was like watching a showdown between Bunny man and the demon. They were waiting on the other to make the first move. The creature bared it's teeth again and Bryce was terrified. Those were definitely not human teeth. They were long, and sharp and would have easily pierced into his neck with no issues if Bunny man hadn't of saved him in time. And now they were standing here, staring dead at those teeth, which were stained red at the gums. He didn't want to know why they were stained red. Bryce trembled at the thought and took a step back and that was all the demon needed to attack.

It snapped forward, opening it's mouth wide enough to take a bite out of Bunny man but he was ready. He jerked away from the attack, pulling Bryce along and watched as the monster hit the floor with a loud thud. Bryce didn't have a chance to even take a breath before Bunny man started pulling him away again, sprinting for the set of stairs that led upstairs, back to the third floor... and it wasn't long at all before Bryce heard the footsteps of their hunter pursue them. They dived into the room that Bryce woke up in and Bunny man slammed the door shut and leaned against it.

"Bryce! Hide in the closet, NOW." He ordered, finally releasing the death grip he had on the other's wrist.

Bryce gratefully tore away from the other and ran for the closet but stopped when he realized it was too small for two people. "Where are you going to hide?!"

"I'm not! Hide in the closet, I'm gonna lead it away from you!" That was Bunny man's plan and Bryce was not happy.

"That's suicide! You can't do that!"

"I have before and I can now! I know how to lose him!" Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door and the threat of it being pushed open was upon them. "Bryce, PLEASE."

There was a heavy hesitation before Bryce carefully and silently opened the closet door and climbed in. "Are you coming back?! You HAVE to come back! You... you can't just leave me alone without a clue who I am or where I am--"

"I will!" The door was slammed against and Bunny man was struggling to keep it closed. "Just... Just stay there! I'll... I'll come back, I promise."

Bryce frowned but agreed to his terms but he had one more question. "What's your name?!"

"...Ohm." He answered through gritted teeth and Bryce happily took that answer.

"Ohm..." He repeated softly. "Fine. Hurry back, Ohm, _please_."

He closed the closet door immediately, leaving just enough of a crack so he could see Ohm, and waited. The door was suddenly knocked open, and Bunny man-- Ohm-- was knocked over with a loud grunt. The creature rounded on Ohm, staring him down like the prey he suddenly was, while Ohm began to scramble onto his feet. The creature took the chance to snap at Ohm, who thankfully jumped out of the way, clumsily. Ohm ran for the door and the creature ran after him, taking Ohm's bait and leaving Bryce alone in the closet.

There was a moment of silence before Bryce closed the closet all the way, and curled up to wait for Ohm to come back. Worry filled his mind and he couldn't stop the tears from prickling in his eyes. How was he gonna get out of here without gaining the attention from that thing? What the hell was going on...?

* * *

  
"Are you okay now?"

Delirious looked up from where he sat and stared at Vanoss, who stared back down at him, worry clear on his face. Delirious looked back down into his lap as he gripped at the denim of his jeans and squeezed. At the very least, he wasn't too terrified to move anymore. It was an improvement to being paralyzed with fear whenever that monster left and Vanoss had to physically pull Delirious from under the table.

"...No? I'm not okay, but I'm better." Delirious replied, slowly climbing to his feet.

Vanoss nodded, face twisting a bit as he glanced for the door. Delirious followed his gaze and they stood in silence, staring at the door before Vanoss spoke up. "At least he didn't see us but we can't stay here. We have to see if we can find a key for the front door. Or try and find a backdoor."

"Yeah... Sounds like a good idea--"

Sounds of footsteps were heard on the floor above them, followed by sounds of loud thumping, and the two boys felt their blood run cold. Vanoss instinctively grabbed onto Delirious' wrist, who clung to his sleeve in return. They stared up at the ceiling, listening as the footsteps vanished.

They waited, again, before Vanoss slowly released Delirious. Delirious still didn't let go. "It uh... it sounded like he went upstairs."

"Yeah..." Vanoss sighed and took a step towards the door, tugging his new companion with him. "So, let's stick around on the first floor and if we absolutely have to, the second floor. Maybe we can pick one of the locks on the first floor and just... force our way out."

"Do you know how to pick a lock, because I don't." Delirious eyed Vanoss, who visibly cringed but offered a small smile.

"How hard can it be?"

"Very hard."

"That's what she said."

Okay, that earned a laugh from Delirious as he shoved Vanoss lightly before heading towards the door. "Shut the fuck up... hehe."

"That's also what she said?"

"Now you're just trying too hard."

* * *

  
Talking about trying to pick the locks was easy at first, but actually standing out in the open in the middle of the main hallway was something else entirely. Knowing that the monster could come down the staircase at any moment and ultimately trap the two men weighed heavily on Delirious' mind and from the looks of it, it was on Vanoss' mind as well.

His hands trembled as he took the paperclip from his pocket and began his work on the lock, wiggling the paperclip around to try to listen for a click from the lock to signal it being unlocked. That click never came, and it was driving Delirious insane. He kept looking towards the staircase, listening for footsteps to signal whether or not they needed to run.

A sudden curse from Vanoss startled Delirious to the point where he flinched in response. Stepping forward, he looked over the red jacketed boy's shoulder and frowned. "You couldn't get it?"

"No... I'm gonna keep trying but I don't think I can do this--" Delirious immediately cut off Vanoss with a smart remark that needed to be said.

"I coulda told you that, dumbass."

"SOOO..." Vanoss declared loudly, shooting a glare towards Delirious. "...go check out the kitchen again and see if you can find something. Preferably something small, like a key. And something that can unlock doors. Like a key."

Delirious raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me to find a key?"

"Maybe."

Delirious nodded and moved to leave but froze on the spot as he eyed the staircase. Then he looked back at Vanoss, suddenly worried about the man's safety. "...Are you sure that's a good idea, Vanoss...?" He stepped back towards the other, who climbed to his feet to eye the staircase cautiously.

"Well-- I mean... I should be able to hear him coming... right? That thing was huge! I should be able to tell the difference between his footsteps and yours. Right?" Vanoss shifted where he stood and wrapped his arms around himself.

Delirious almost mimicked his movements, wanting to feel safe as possible. Despite that, he felt very uncomfortable leaving Vanoss alone in the middle of the hallway. "Let's just both go. The door is a fucking waste of time anyway..."

Vanoss made face that was ALMOST similar to a pout. "i wanna try lock picking the door a few more times. If I can figure it out, maybe we can just lock pick all of the doors."

"Ugh, that would take FOREVER, though!" Delirous grumbled, throwing up his hands in defeat. He knew that it was a shitty idea. He knew that he shouldn't leave Vanoss alone. And yet, covering more ground in search of a key before that nightmare came back seemed like the best plan at the moment. "Fine... Fine."

Vanoss' face softened at Delirious' reluctant agreement and he couldn't stop himself from reaching over and giving him a gentle and playful punch against the shoulder. "Fucking _finally_ \-- Thank you, asshole. Seriously, I've got the door under control. Just go see what you can find."

Delirious frowned and returned the punch, making sure it was a little rougher than Vanoss' punch. Just to make sure the asshole knew that he wasn't happy with this plan at all. "Seriously, man, if you have an issue, scream for me and I'll be right over to help."

"What are you gonna do? That thing is like ten times your size." Maybe not entirely accurate sizing but the emphasis helped. Delirious huffed loudly, pulling his fist away in favor of shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'll shove my foot up his bare naked ass. And then we run."

Vanoss blinked. "Did he even have an ass? Were you looking?"

"I changed my mind, I'm leaving your ass when he comes to find you." He turned to leave, knowing that they both knew that he was lying through his teeth.   
Vanoss let out a short laugh-- the most gleeful laugh that Delirious had managed to get from the boy-- and turned back towards the door. "See you later, asshole."

Delirious smiled and headed towards the kitchen, waving at Vanoss as he walked away.

"Later, bitch!"

* * *

  
The kitchen was just as hopeless as Delirious remembered. He had already done a quick look over before when he woke up in this room and nothing was found. He sighed at how pointless this was but he really didn't want the whole search to be in vain. If Vanoss thought that he could find something in here, he might as well try for it. So, he began to be more thorough in his search, taking note on how clean the kitchen itself was. The stove wasn't rusted in the slightest, and the cabinets were empty but lacked a speck of dust. The sink lacked any soap or grime, and when trying to turn on the water, Delirious found that it wouldn't work and he sighed. He would kill for a glass of water right now.

His eyes trailed towards the table and he couldn't help but admire the floral designs that were carved down the legs of the furniture. Along with that, it had four chairs seated around it. Hell, while he was sitting here admiring the demon's apparent talent at furnishing the damned mansion, he might as well admire the carpet that the table sat on. The design was downright fancy and he knew that it must have cost a fortune. Even if it was too tacky for his tastes, he could at least give it a point or two. It was almost evenly in place too, except for a corner that was just a little wrinkled and uneven.

...Which stuck out more than anything in this damned kitchen.

It was a large stretch, of course. A bit too obvious as well. After all, Delirious could have easily kicked up the rug a bit on his way in or out of here. But he still didn't stop himself from pulling up the carpet to see what lie underneath.

And that's how he found his first key, taped to the floor, underneath the carpet.

Delirious felt his chest swell up with pride as he grabbed for it, and he couldn't stop the loud laugh from bubbling out of his throat. "Oh my fucking god, are you serious?!" He shrieked with glee, holding up the key to the light. "It was there the whole fucking time! Oh my god! YES!"

He wasn't sure where the key went to, but at the moment, he didn't care. He would try this key on every damn door in the house as long as it made progress for Vanoss and himself. Speaking of Vanoss, he was overly excited to tell his new friend the news so he shot towards the door, shoving the key safely in the pocket of his jeans.

As his hand turned the knob, he heard a loud and panicked scream from down the hallway.


	7. Memory 3 - The Search Begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No notes in particular today, except that the next chapter is already finished but the memory segment for the next chapter is not. Gonna work on that tonight and tomorrow, and get it done sometime between then. Much love for you guys and your support <3 - Crest

_"Where's Jonathan..?"_

_Ryan couldn't take his eyes off of the red, bloodstained jacket and the deep gash that hid beneath the torn clothing. Blood dripped from Evan's arm in a steady flow and Ryan suddenly felt glad that this was the first room he decided to check in his search for Jonathan. The boy was huddled in the corner, gripping his wounded shoulder tightly as he started up at Ryan with wide eyes. Every so often, his eyes would dart towards the door and then back at Ryan, as if he were on the look out for something. Ryan had a few ideas on what that 'something' was._

_"Holy fuck, Evan, what the fuck happened to you...?" Ryan spoke up in a whisper as he quickly crouched down to get a better look at the shoulder._

_Once his hands so much as touched his arm, Evan jerked away with a small whimper. "That... fucking thing bit me! That-- That--" His voice broke and he shook his head and shut his eyes tightly, trying to forget what it was he witnessed. "It... It came out of nowhere. The door next to the staircase? It suddenly jumped out from there and-- took me by surprise and bit me. I moved in just enough time but--"_

_He flinched again as Ryan suddenly pulled him forward as gently as he could. Ryan nodded at him to finish his story while removing the jacket from Evan's body. He wasn't going to like this, but Ryan was going to have to tear the jacket to make makeshift bandages. Even frowned and continued. "We... We fucking scattered, man. Or-- Sorta. Jon pulled me upstairs as fast as possible and we duck into this room. He locked the door but I don't think it saw us come in."_

_"...And Bryce?" Ryan felt the tinge of worry shoot through him but he tried not to lose it just yet. Bryce was crafty. He was smart, fast, athletic-- Everything. He wouldn't get caught so easily._

_"..Not sure-- I-- FUCK--" He stopped and cursed loudly as Ryan tried to clean the wound as best as possible. Which, granted, was hard when you lacked medical suplies. "Fucking shit, that hurts..."_

_"I know. Keep going, please. What happened to Bryce?"_

_Evan spared a glance towards Ryan and took a deep breath to steady himself. "He... I think he ran into the room that the fucking thing came from. I don't know WHY but I guess it seemed like the best plan. Who fucking knows...?"_

_Evan shook in pain and even kicked his leg once as Ryan wrapped his shoulder up the best he could. Ryan finally backed off and tossed the remains of the jacket onto a nearby bed and sighed. "That's the best I can do for now. If we find actual medicine and stuff, I'll hand it over. Can you walk though?"_

_Evan nodded and with a little help, he climbed to his feet, stumbling for a moment before standing up straight. "Uh... Y-Yeah. Yeah, I think so... Like hell am I staying in here."_

_"Think you'll be okay enough to come with me to find Jonathan?"_

_Evan perked up at the suggestion and suddenly, he seemed less weakened. "Fuck yeah I am. If that fucking thing shows up again, don't worry. I'm sure the adrenaline of not wanting to get my ass kicked again will chime in."_

_Ryan smiled in relief and yet he couldn't help but worry a little about the guy. The gash in his shoulder was pretty deep, but if he did a good job with the jacket-bandaging, then maybe, just maybe, it would sorta stop the bleeding? Ryan wasn't a doctor, so he couldn't say for sure. The very least he could do was keep an eye on Evan and if he got weaker or if the bleeding continued, then he would have to stop and find something to actually stop the bleeding._

_"The last time I saw-- or heard Jon-- I was hiding in a closet upstairs." Ryan frowned as he rubbed his neck, feeling a heavy guilt for not doing anything to help his friend. "He... got the attention of that thing when it was chasing me."_

_"Yeah, I fucking know he did." There was a bitterness in Evan's voice, but Ryan knew that it wasn't directed at him in the slightest. "We... we heard you scream. Jon was trying to fix my shoulder but then we heard you scream and that dumbass decided that he needed to save you. I tried to go with him but he told me to stay the fuck here."_

_Ryan eyed Evan carefully, before feeling some relief settle in. Evan didn't seem like he was blaming Ryan for Jon running off and it made Ryan feel less guilty. But all of it wasn't going away until everyone was together again and safe. So, they left the room in silence, Ryan leading the way and Evan hobbling behind him, gripping his shoulder tightly. First, they would look around the three floors before heading in the room Bryce ran in. Maybe if they were lucky, Bryce and Jon had already found each other._

_Evan scoffed. "I can't believe we both lost our boyfriends."_

_"Bryce isn't my boyfriend." Ryan glanced over to see Evan roll his eyes. "What?! It's true!"_

_"Okay, dude, whatever you say."_

_"Hmph..."_


	8. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No special notes this chapter x-x Memory will be posted later today and boy, you guys are gonna hate me.

Vanoss immediately dropped the paperclip on the floor when he heard hurried footsteps on the floor above him.

He climbed to his feet and felt his heart drop as the two pairs of footsteps neared the stairs that came down to his own floor. Snatching up the paperclip and shoving it into his pocket, he began to press himself against the way away from the stairs, eyeing down the hallway to where Delirious went. He could easily run down the hall to get Delirious and then they could hide together. He could easily do that.

And yet, his legs refused to move.

* * *

  
Ohm rounded the corner quite smoothly and while at any other time, he'd pride himself for his jukes, the fact that the demon behind him was one hesitation away from catching him and breaking him in half was enough of a threat to keep Ohm's pride hidden away and kept the man on his feet. The creature was relentless in it's chase but he knew that he was about to lose it's interest. He had to be close, and then he would go up to find Bryce and make sure he was still alive and breathing.

Ohm scrambled his way down the stairs onto the first floor, deciding that maybe juking him in the kitchen would be enough to make it lose its interest but one glance to his left made him realize that even if he lost the creature, that wouldn't be enough. Near the door that led to the basement stood a face wearing a blood red jacket and he stared right back in shock and confusion.

Ohm couldn't bite back the curse. "FUCK." He shouted, hearing as the demon came hounding after him. He jumped from the staircase and onto the floor, biting his lip at the small, sharp pain that shot through his legs and immediately went for Vanoss.

"Who the fuck are you?! Holy shit, don't bring that thing down here!" Vanoss cried out, immediately pressing himself further against the wall, as Ohm ran for the hallway towards the left, towards the bathrooms.

The demon cut off his path to the kitchen and was now eyeing Vanoss and Ohm with giant, hunting eyes.

There was silence what seemed like centuries and Vanoss couldn't hold back the small whine when he realized that he really had nowhere to go. The demon blocked both the staircase and the kitchen, and the only doors that he could reach were all locked. To him, he and the newly arrival were fucked.

"H-Hey, man, what's your plan?" Vanoss finally spoke up, gaining the attention of the demon. He immediately shut up when it took a careful step towards him.

Ohm struggled to catch his breath, not taking the chance to double over for air just yet. He knew the monster and it was crafty. "Trying.. to figure that out." He made sure to raise his voice, to try and keep it from focusing on the other. After a moment, he took a chance and asked a question to Vanoss, not taking his eyes off the threat ahead of them.

"Are you alone?"

"Uh-- No-- My friend went to... to the kitchen to look around for a key or something--" Vanoss gestured to the hallway behind the creature and Ohm wanted to curse loudly.

He didn't have a plan and the creature knew it. And that's why it took the chance to make its way towards Ohm and Vanoss, mouth dripping with the yellow saliva that Ohm hated so much. A glance towards Vanoss told Ohm that the poor, terrified soul wasn't going to be able to move if the blue demon pounced at him so Ohm got prepared, staring down the demon as it got ready to make it's move.

And when it did, Ohm was ready. He turned as the demon pounced and tackled Vanoss out of the way, flinching as he screamed. The demon smashed it's stupid face into the wall behind them and Ohm scrambled up from on top of Vanoss to see if the boy was still alive. To his relief, he was perfectly fine, aside from possibly being scarred for life.  
That makes two of them.

He climbed to his feet in a hurry and pulled Vanoss up with him, who was scrambling to say something-- anything-- to the other.

"Holy shit-- you saved my life--" He breathed out, and Ohm felt a pinge of guilt deep in his chest.

"No, I didn't! Listen, we have to fucking run!" Ohm pushed Vanoss towards the stairs again, looking back at the monster as it pushed itself away from the wall with a moan.

"Wait, but Delirious--"

"VANOSS!"

Delirious couldn't have had better timing, rushing down the hall with his hand stuck into the pocket of his pants. He was, understandably, caught off guard by the demon, and with the appearance of the new arrival but he said nothing until he ran over to grab Vanoss with wide worried eyes. "Holy shit, are you okay?!"

"Is anyone okay with that thing around!?" Vanoss instinctively grabbed onto Delirious' sleeve, looking back at the creature. "Listen, we gotta go, NOW. I'll explain later!"

As Vanoss tried to run up the stairs, Delirious pulled him back and shoved the key into his open palm. "I found a key under the carpet in the kitchen. I just don't know where it goes to--"

Ohm whipped his head towards Delirious and Vanoss with widened eyes, and both turned to look at him, breathless with fear. The creature was now fully on it's feet and turning towards them and Ohm didn't see any other chance to lose the monster. There was no way three people could manage to lose it. So, he turned quickly and snatched the key from Vanoss' hand and pushed them up the stairs.

"This key goes to that door right there!" He explained, pointing towards the door that laid next to the staircase, and more importantly, to the monster that inched towards them. "I'll unlock it and lose it while YOU guys go upstairs to the third floor! You'll find someone else-- another survivor-- up there and when you think it's safe, go through this door and try to fucking escape!"

Before Vanoss and Delirious could even begin to speak, Ohm jumped from the staircase to the door for the second time that day and ran for the door, shoving the key in the lock, turning it and throwing it open as his hunter grabbed for his hood. He managed to dodge it just in time and into the door he fled, and with a loud screech that shook Vanoss and Delirous to the bone, the creature started the chase, leaving Vanoss and Delirious alone in the main hallway.

* * *

 

 

Bryce almost screamed when he heard the ear splitting screech from the creature downstairs. He wasn't sure of what was happening, wasn't sure of what to do and he wasn't sure of whether or not Ohm was even still alive. The blonde curled up in his closet, with not a slick of light slipping through and his eyes began to well up with tears.   
Would it be his fault if Ohm died? He hadn't known that the horrible creature was nearby when he busted into the room that Ohm was more than likely going to hide in. Maybe if he hadn't of been so loud when he did it, then he would've been able to talk to Ohm like a normal person and actually get the answers he wanted. 

What answers did he want though?

Bryce pondered that for a moment, and frowned when too many questions came to mind. Would Ohm even know the answer to half of them? Well, he definitely knew Bryce's name, so that's one answer he could provide. If he knew Bryce's name, maybe he would know where they were? Or what that thing was? He most definitely knew how to handle it.

...

The more he thought about his endless questions, the more anxious he got. He wanted-- no-- NEEDED these answers more than anything, and if Ohm never came back because he was killed, then Bryce would be at a dead end.

"...I need to go find him..." He finally whispered to himself, before placing his hands on the doors of the closet. With one final deep breath, he pushed them open, letting the light of the room flood into his safe space of the closet. 

* * *

  
"Vanoss, what the fuck was that? Who the fuck was that guy?!" Delirious demanded as he pulled the other up the stairs, in an effort to get them as far away from that monstrosity as possible. "He just jacked our key and bailed on us!"

Vanoss stumbled after Delirious, cursing his severe case of jelly legs before looking down the stairs. He was heavily on edge after nearly being killed by the creature and Delirious yelling was not helping, nor was the whole nearly pulling his arm out of his socket thing helping either. Once on the second floor, Vanoss snatched his arm away and doubled over, taking deep breaths to calm down. Delirious retracted his hand, looking down at Vanoss with a worried expression before bending down on a knee to rest his hand on the other's back, rubbing it gently. They both sat in silence for a moment, with the thoughts of the danger they're facing hanging over their heads like an axe hanging from a thin string, one snap away from absolutely losing it.

The deafening silence spread throughout the floor and for once, it was a welcome change. No running footsteps or heavy breathing from the dangerous monster were around to put them on edge. And finally, when Vanoss managed to calm down, he spoke up.

"...That.. guy saved me." He admitted, chancing a glance up at Delirious, who could only remove his hand again and blink down at the other, waiting for him to clarify. Vanoss sighed and moved back, leaning against the old wall of the house, in need of some support at the moment. "He was being chased and... I don't think he expected me to be there... I dunno, but we were both trapped... and it tried to get me but he tackled me out of the way."

Delirious watched him for a moment before letting his eyes trail over to the staircase where the events took place. He considered it before looking back at Vanoss. "But the key..."

"He kept the door open, Delirious." Vanoss began to explain, face hardened. "He didn't rob us. He was helping us by leading it away from us..." Or so he hoped. Vanoss couldn't help but feel a bit biased towards the man who had saved his life, after all.

"So-- what? He wants us to follow him?" Delirious moved over to lean next to Vanoss, staring up at the ceiling.

"No... Not yet anyway. I think that's the door we need to go through to try and get out of here. It's progress at least." Vanoss spared a look towards the staircase that lead to the third floor. "...And we're not alone, apparently. He has a friend upstairs so whoever it is, we can question him, right?"

"Yeah, if he knows anything, anyway." A frown appeared on Delirious' face. Vanoss glanced over and sighed, feeling as if the negativity was really starting to get to the boy. But he understood. He was starting to feel as if it were hopeless too. And it was crushing. But he knew they couldn't think like that, or else they would never get out of here alive.

"...Hey."

Delirious blinked up at Vanoss. "Hm?"

Vanoss threw an arm around Delirious and kept it there, giving the brown haired boy a small and comforting smile before nudging him sharply in the side. Delirious jumped hard and scowled at Vanoss, who would only laugh. "Listen, right now, we're good. We're safe and we're about to go find out what this guy has to say to us. So, let's just... y'know... stay positive or something, yeah?"

Delirious stared him down, contemplating his words, before returning the jab to the side which earned a surprised "Oof!" from Vanoss. Face twisting, Vanoss shoved back and before Delirious could even begin to retaliate, the dark haired boy ran up the stairs, gesturing for Delirious to follow.

"C'mon, let's go get this guy and see what's up."

"Fiiine, but don't think you're off the hook yet, you bitch." Delirious could only laugh as he ran after Vanoss.

* * *

  
Bryce stood in the middle of his room, eyeing the door that led out to the hall. Disobeying Ohm's orders and leaving the room was simple in theory but actually going out into what he had deemed the Danger Zone... That was another story. The thought of actually leaving the safety of his room sent unneeded chills down his spine and, every time, would send him into a pacing fit around the room.

The first two times, he considered it a way to calm his nerves. The third time around, he told himself that he was just waiting until it was completely silent before making his move. The fourth time, he acknowledged that this whole pacing thing was a waste of time and just putting him in more danger. The fifth time, he wanted to sweep over the room to make sure he wasn't missing anything important.

He had already checked out under the bed he had woken up on so a brief check under the second bed in the room was definitely in order. He was a bit disappointed to find nothing under there, however. He supposed it was too much to hope that he would find something useful under the bed, like another hole or a box of useful stuff, or maybe even a gun?

He sat up and frowned, running a hand over the soft blanket that was laid out over the bed next to him. Did he even know how to shoot a gun? He couldn't even remember that much. He couldn't remember anything. Was Bryce even his real name? He felt something in his chest begin to hurt and he began to wring his wrists, glancing at the door.   
Ohm was supposed to come back, and yet he still wasn't back yet. Maybe he wasn't going to come back. Maybe he died and now that thing was looking for him. He closed his eyes, trying to calm down from the sudden panic that shot through his body. For some reason, the image of Ohm dying stuck with him, tearing mercilessly at his mind. He couldn't stand the idea even though he had known Ohm for about five minutes.

He climbed to his feet and faced the door, heart thumping loudly in his chest. Then, he glanced over at the desk and bit his lip. He'd check one more thing and then he would leave. He would leave and go find Ohm and make sure he was okay. And then he'd get all of the answers he could get and then they would try to leave. They had to.  
The desk offered little. The drawers didn't open at all and the books on top offered nothing useful to Bryce. He pulled out the chair and crawled under the desk, checking all nooks and crannies for any secrets because if the hole under the bed said anything, this was a house of secrets. But he found nothing, until he crawled back out from under the desk and came face to face with a small key sitting in the seat of the chair.

He snatched the key up, and looked it over before climbing back up to his feet. This had to be a key to one of the doors, right? It surely had to be and he felt pride swell in his chest for choosing to look over the room carefully, even if it was in a fit of anxiousness. But now, he could look for Ohm while looking for another way out.  So, carefully putting the key into his pocket, he headed for the door and reached for the knob... only for it to open with enough force to smack Bryce in the face, knocking him back onto the floor.

"Oh shit!" A voice cursed and Bryce looked up at them in a bit of a daze.

"...Ohm...?" Bryce blinked, blinking before realizing that the two in front of him were, unfortunately, not Ohm. Two unfamiliar faces stood over him, one scolding the other for nearly knocking Bryce out with the door, it seemed. Bryce frowned and shook his head. "Who... are you?"

They both looked down at the other, before the red jacketed one reached down to offer his hand, which Bryce gratefully accepted. Bryce was pulled to his feet as the two introduced themselves. "I'm Vanoss."

"I'm Delirious." The other one answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry for hitting you, I guess."

"We were told you were up here by some bunny guy." Bryce's eyes lit up and Vanoss took that as a confirmation that the two were friends and then continued. "So, we came to get you and we want answers about what the fuck is going on."

Oh. Oh boy. Bryce frowned and looked between the two of them. Vanoss and Delirious frowned as they waited for an answer, an answer that was never going to come.

"But... guys, I don't know what's going on either..."


	9. Memory 4 - The Wounded

_It killed Ryan to see how much Evan was struggling to keep up with him. There were too many things for Ryan to be worrying about, and Evan was more than half of them. He could have lost a lot of blood and still could be losing it... He could be in too much pain to keep moving, which is why Ryan was looking out for pain killers as best as possible... He could be fighting an infection ... The worst case scenario managed to creep into Ryan's mind and it settled there. He could be dying. Evan could be dying and there was nothing Ryan had that could stop it. He kept stopping to ask if the wounded one wanted to stop and rest but he refused._

_"No... man, Jon could be in much worse shape than me..." Evan noticed the doubtful look on Ryan's face. "Listen... let's just find.. Let's just find Jon and Bryce first... Then I can rest."_

_"Evan, I really think you need to rest now--" Ryan reached out to grab for Evan who immediately shoo'ed his hand away._

_"No, no-- I'm fine really." He insisted, grabbing onto his shoulder tightly._

_Ryan frowned. "Okay..." He said no more and they walked through the house in silence._

_Jon and Bryce were nowhere to be found on the first three floors, and upon investigating the first floor again, they noticed the door next to the staircase was wide open. Having exhausted all options on the rest of the floors, they wandered in and investigated. Another hallway sat there, one with a door straight ahead and another door straight to their right._

_They decided to investigate the right door first. The room was empty for the most part, with part of it looking like it was straight out of a japanese western home, with shoji wall dividers and tatami flooring. Once spotted, Evan let out a small snort as Ryan investigated behind the wall dividers, though he found nothing of interest. He looked over at Evan, questionably._

_"Where the fuck are we? Japan?" Evan scoffed, leaning against a nearby wall to catch his breath. "Why the fuck does everything else look the same but then there's this room? That makes no fuckin' sense..."_

_"Maybe the owners that were here before this thing were of Japanese descent?"_

_"Maybe..." Evan slid down the wall to sit and took a deep breath as he gripped his shoulder tightly._

_Ryan frowned. "Evan..."_

_"I'm fine, I'm fine-- It just... It really burns." Evan watched Ryan as the other wandered over to bend down in front of the wounded man. Evan waved him off immediately before holding out a hand to be helped up. "Seriously, I'm fine..."_

_"Evan, this--" Ryan gestured to the shoulder on topic and gave the other a disapproving look. "This isn't fine... You could have an infection or you could be losing blood--"_

_"Ryan, holy shit, you are the worst at trying to comfort me!"_

_"Evan, I'm just fucking worried, man!"_

_"Well stop." Evan demanded, pulling his hand away in favor of getting up on his own. Ryan jumped to his feet to catch him when he stumbled but once Evan had his balance, he gently pushed Ryan away with a grunt. "We can't just sit around and nurse my shoulder back to health when we have nothing to use for it. You saw that fucker's teeth. They were disgusting."_

_"So you DO have an infection." Ryan accused, stepping forward to pull Evan back out the door. "You need to rest then!"_

_"No!" He pulled away again, glaring down at the shorter man. "We need to keep going. We need to look for medicine or something. We NEED to find Jon and Bryce. We need to find each other and stick together."_

_"Evan--"_

_"Ryan." Evan cut him off, staring him dead in the eye. The hard look in his eye faltered and his face fell. He stared down at his feet before breathing out a shaky sigh. "If... If either of them got hurt or... died... while I'm in bed recovering from a fucking bite to the shoulder, I don't think I could forgive myself for it."_

_They both fell silent while his words hung heavily in the air. Ryan felt on edge and he knew that Evan felt the same. Maybe even worse. The house creaked loudly, breaking the silence between them and finally, Ryan stepped forward, putting a hand on Evan's good shoulder. "Alright... Fine. We'll keep looking but if it gets too much, I might have to start carrying you."_

_"Psch, please. Jon thinks he can do the same thing but he fucking can't." Evan glanced around the room as if continuing the search, but Ryan didn't miss the fondness in the other's eyes as he complained about his boyfriend. "He's a fucking loser."_

_"Uh-huh, sure." Ryan smirked, as he took note of another door in the room... with torn down wallpaper surrounding it. "Evan?" He called out, dragging the other's attention to it._

_"Whoa, what's all that mess?" He stumbled over to the pile of torn down wallpaper and looked it over carefully. "Was this wallpaper over the door?"_

_Ryan examined the wall around the door and sure enough, it was mostly intact and only torn when it met where the door was. So someone was in here for sure, and managed to not only find the door but tear down the wall paper in the process. "Seems that way. Someone must've come through here."_

_Or to be more precise, Jonathan or Bryce had come through here, he hoped. Evan must have shared that hope, since his hand shot out for the door to open it. Ryan was just as quick to push his hand away. "Evan, no, you stay behind me." He instructed, earning a small glare from the other. "I mean it, I'll go first. I'm not the hurt one."_

_"Fine, just go, Ryan!" Evan pushed him forward and Ryan huffed loudly before turning the door handle._

* * *

 

  
_Ryan and Evan were expecting a lot of things in the room but a jail cell was not one of those things. It sent Ryan's mind into a flurry of questions that he had no answers to and it was driving him insane. He knew the house was old, and had rumors of fucked up shit going on in there but he never really believed them, deep inside. After all, all ghost stories were prone to exaggeration._

_But as he sat here, staring at a jail cell that was apparently behind a door hidden by wallpaper gave some confirmation that the house was not right, not in the slightest. The room, aside from the jail cell, was empty. No chairs, no beds in the jail cell, no desks-- Nothing. Or so Ryan thought._

_Evan, on the other hand, managed to spot something sitting on the floor in the middle of said jail cell. "Is that a key in there?" He pointed out, gaining Ryan's attention._

_Looking closer, Ryan did see a key sitting in the middle of the floor and that just sent more questions through his mind. Why was there nothing in here but a key? It was suspicious, that much was sure. But that didn't stop Evan was limping his way into the cell, nearly giving Ryan a heart attack._

_"Evan, what the fuck are you doing?!"_

_"Uh, getting the key?"_   
_"No shit!" Ryan threw his arms up at the obvious answer, but really, what was he expecting here? It was Evan, after all. "Don't you think that it's a little suspicious? That it's sitting here in the middle of nowhere?"_

_"Oh... yeah I guess so..." Evan's body wavered a bit and Ryan quickly rushed in just in case Evan fell over._

_Evan was physically getting weaker and a lot more pale and his sluggish body language was about to make Ryan call it quits. He wrapped his arms around Evan's waist and threw his good arm over his own shoulder, even as Evan began to insist that he was fine and didn't need to be carried. The way his body went limp against Ryan's was enough to prove his point. Evan needed to lay down and rest. It was getting to be too much._

_"We're going back to the second floor. There's a bed there, and--" He paused, glancing down at the key below their feet and he hated to admit it, but that key right there could very well be the way to get into a room with medical supplies. "...We'll use this key and find something, I'm sure of it."_

_"I... I thought it was too suspicious." Evan mumbled with a small laugh._

_"It is but... we really need to find you something, Evan." Ryan reached down to grab the key._

_And froze when he heard the sound of a door opening and then slamming shut in the next room._

_He knew he wasn't imagining it, since the man in his arms physically tensed up at the sound. They both heard heavy footsteps heading towards the door to the room they were in and Evan couldn't stop the terrified and panicked noise that slipped from his lips. They were trapped and there was no way in hell that Ryan could outrun the monster while carrying Evan. It would catch them both immediately._

_"...Ryan, run--" Evan suddenly whispered, going limp again._

_"Fuck that!" The footsteps were getting closer. They could hear it breathing. Ryan began to panic._

_"Put me down and fucking run...!" Evan demanded, trying to push the other off him. "He's gonna get us!"_

_"Evan, stop it!" Ryan heard the doorknob turn and everything happened on instinct. He dropped Evan as carefully as he could and grabbed the cell door. As the door to the room opened, revealing blue skin and large black eyes, the cell door was slammed shut with a loud clang of metal and a small click of the lock settling in place. And suddenly, they were imprisoned in the cell, with the demon staring down at them._

_Ryan immediately ran for Evan, scooping him up again, as the larger weakly began to smack him on his arm. "What the fuck are you thinking?! We're both fucking trapped!!"_

_The demon stared them down, reaching for the bars. Once he grabbed a hold of them, he gave them a firm shake, trying to break the bars. Trying to get through. Trying to get to them. Ryan pulled Evan away from the cell bars and pressed himself securely against the wall, watching as the demon tried with every ounce of strength to get in.  Ryan pressed a hand against Evan's face, biting his lip at how hot the boy's skin had gotten. Fever was setting in and he knew that he had to get him meds soon but now it was beginning to seem like it was a lost cause. They were trapped and that thing was trying to get in. It shook the bars again, and for a moment, Ryan thought he saw one of the bars loosen._

_Were they going to die?_

_Ryan slid down against the wall, holding Evan tightly before shutting his eyes and screaming._

_"GO AWAY, LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE."_

_His yelling only made Evan flinch and made the creature shake the bars harder. The breathing got louder and more rapid. Ryan shut his eyes tightly, holding onto Evan as the other trembled against him. He waited for the moment that the creature would break into the cell. It never came.  The shaking of the cell was stopped, actually. By the sound of metal hitting against flesh as hard as possible. Then Ryan heard a voice that lifted every bit of spirit he had in his body._

_"Leave them alone!!" The familiar voice demanded and Ryan felt his breath leave his body._

_"BRYCE!"_

_Ryan's eyes shot open to see the blonde boy at the door with a rather large pipe in his hand. From the looks of it, he had just smacked the hell out of the monster and while it wasn't enough to knock it completely over, it was more than enough to get it's attention off of the cell and on it's assailant. And while he was grateful for the rescue, panic began to rise up again as he realized the danger that Bryce just put himself through._

_Bryce swung at the creature again, causing it to stumble over with a short, gargled groan. When the blonde went for yet another swing, the monster's giant hand shot out and grabbed the pipe, ripping it from Bryce's hand. Ryan almost screamed when his friend suddenly got disarmed but Bryce gave him one final glance before fleeing the room, calling back to them as the creature climbed to it's feet to give chase._

_"Get out of there, Ryan!! Run!"_

_Ryan's nerves were suddenly on edge. Bryce was in danger, and he had to act fast. He placed Evan aside, who let out another pained whimper, and he reached for the key in the middle of the floor. Scooping it up with his hand, he ran for the cell and prayed to every God he could think of and come up with that it was the key to the cell. With shaky hands, he shoved the key into the hole and turned it and almost felt his heart leap out of his chest with joy when the door accepted the key with a click._

_He kicked the door open, watching as it swung open and he ran for the door to the room. He swung that door open as well and looked out it, seeing nothing else in the other room. Bryce and the creature had already left the scene but they couldn't be far. He had to help Bryce as soon as possible, he just had to._

_"Evan, we have to go after them! Bryce is in trouble!" Ryan called out, and when he was met with nothing but silence, he turned to find Evan. "...Evan?"_

_In his hurry to chase after Bryce, he didn't notice the other hadn't moved from the floor. But now, as he stood there at the door, he watched as his friend struggled to his feet. Watched as his legs shook weakly._

_And finally, watched as Evan's body finally gave in and crumbled to the floor. Ryan wasn't sure if the other even heard him scream his name before the wounded slipped into a state of unconsciousness._


	10. Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever x-x Sorry, I had a hard time writing this chapter. Hopefully it doesn't seem TOO rushed but I wanted to hurry up and get it done before I lost all motivation to continue omg. The next memory is still being written and I'm not sure if I'll get it out today but hey, who knows? 
> 
> Also! It's my birthday today <3 So happy birthday to me, have a new chapter.

"So... we all woke up here with no memories of anything?"

Bryce needed to clarify what the other two were saying. He licked his lips anxiously as he watched the other two glance at each other. Finally, Delirous nodded and flopped back on one of the beds in the room. Vanoss took a seat in the chair at the desk as Bryce took a seat on the bed that sat adjacent to Delirious' bed.

"All we remember are the names we have. Vanoss and Delirious." Vanoss gestured to himself and then to Delirious. "Not exactly common names so I'm guessing that they're not actually our real names."

Delirious rolled over, shoving his face in the soft pillow for a moment before peeking over at Bryce. "Your name seems pretty normal, though." He pointed out with a confused stare. "So why're you so different from us, huh?"

Bryce noticed the suspicious stare he got from Delirious and a glance over at Vanoss confirmed that he was receiving the same stare from the other as well. He shifted uncomfortably, looking down at his shoes. Finally, he gave a small and pathetic shrug. "I don't... I don't know. I really don't remember anything. It was just the name I woke up with."

"Well, what about that Ohm guy?" Vanoss tilted his head, looking towards the door. "That was his name, right? Ohm?"

Bryce nodded. "Yeah, that was the name he gave me when he saved me." He thought back to Ohm, imagining him pressed up against the door as he tried to keep the monster from breaking into the room to get to him and Ohm. He felt his heart beat speed up at the thought of how badly Ohm reacted when they were in danger but he shook his head to shake off the anxiety.

At least, he thought it was anxiety.

"He saved Vanoss too." Delirious piped up, sitting up in the bed he laid on. "Then he stole our key and lead the monster away by going into the room next to the stairs. On the first floor."

Vanoss crossed his legs and crosses his arms. "Then I guess that's where we need to go? We couldn't find anything else in any of the other rooms and the rest are locked. Including the front door." He paused when he noticed the look of hopelessness on Delirious' face and then scrambled to continue. "Don't look at me like that, Delirious-- You heard what the guy said. We go through that same door and find a way out. Maybe there's a back entrance or something."

Delirious' face lit up again and Vanoss gave a small smile. Bryce watched the two of them closely, before remembering the key that he had found moments ago, before he left the room and got assaulted by the door. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he grabbed the key and pulled it out before holding it out towards his two new companions. "Not only that, but I found this a little bit ago. I'm not really sure where it goes..."

"Maybe one of the rooms around here can be opened by it?" Delirious rolled off the bed to grab at the key. Bryce pulled his hand away once the key was snatched away and he could only look over at Vanoss helplessly, who could only shrug.

"Maybe we can check all of the doors before going after Ohm? We might end up finding something we need. Or something to use if we get in danger?" Vanoss stood up to snatch the key back from Delirious, who could only sputter and groan in disappointment, like a child having his toy taken away from him.

Bryce figured it was a good plan but he didn't like the idea of leaving Ohm alone for that long. He had already saved Bryce and then Vanoss and he figured that it was time for them to save him. But if they continued forward without checking around for stuff like other keys or something, then they could very well be screwing themselves over.   
Not to mention, Bryce really wanted to check out the piano room since it was the first place that he saw Ohm at and more than likely, one of the many places he could get answers from. He felt as if he were at a stand still. He had to go find Ohm immediately but they needed to look around more as well. Maybe...

"Somethin' on your mind, Bryce?"

Bryce blinked up at Delirious and let his eyes trail over to Vanoss. Finally, he looked down on the bed that he sat on and sighed. "I think I have a few ideas, but before I say anything, can I show you guys something else I found? Before I met up with Ohm and he saved me?"

Vanoss and Delirious both shrugged in response, gesturing for the other to continue. Bryce climbed to his feet, beckoning for Vanoss to come over. With the simple instruction of 'Push the bed against the wall', the two moves the bed away from the hole in the ground, letting it sit out in the open for everyone to see.

Curiosity knocked into Delirious hard and nearly left him breathless as he jumped to his feet to go and peek into the hole, staring into the piano room below. Like Bryce had noted before, the room was a pure white color, which contrasted from the other rooms in the house. For some reason, the room seemed to stick out to all of them.

"Is that a piano?" Vanoss bent down to get a better look into the room. Bryce did the same, nodding towards the other.

"Yeah... I woke up in this room and I felt a draft, so I looked under the bed and found this hole." He stared down at the piano and his face began to twist with confusion. "I saw Ohm for the first time through this hole. I don't see anything else in there but a piano though. And when I went downstairs, I checked the door to the room and it was locked. I think Ohm locked it."

"That's shifty as fuck!" Delirious pointed out with a squint. Vanoss quickly agreed.

"Definitely not suspicious at all."

Silence settled between them, and as Bryce stared into the piano room, he couldn't help but notice that it was familiar in some way. He couldn't help but think that maybe he had been in the room before? Of course, anything was possible when you and two others had a case of amnesia. He considered the option of Ohm having amnesia as well, but the more he thought about it, the more that it seemed unlikely.

Ohm was involved in all of this somehow, and Bryce needed answers. Either from Ohm himself or from searching the mansion inside and out.

"Alright!" Vanoss' spoke loudly to snatch the other two out of their deep thoughts. He placed his fist in his hand before climbing to his feet with a cocky grin written on his face that Bryce felt was just a tad bit cliche. "We'll come back and check on the piano room in a bit but for now, we need to find out where that key goes."

"But..." Bryce watched him and frowned. "What about Ohm? He might still be in trouble-- We should go help him as soon as possible."

"I don't know about you guys..." Delirous sat back, eyeing Bryce and Vanoss carefully as he bit his lip. "But I don't give a fuck about the doors or finding the guy who has the giant monster following him. Let's just... find the back door, run away and go get the police?"

They all went quiet again, and Bryce almost wanted to curse. They were already having different opinions and for a group, that wasn't really a great idea. And they all knew it. So they went quiet again so explore better options. The plans were all okay in hindsight. Explore, find Ohm or run away. But they each had their flaws.

If they stayed behind to explore the mansion, then they would be wasting time. It would only be a matter of time before the monster gave up on chasing Ohm or worse-- Caught Ohm. And when that happened, it would come right back to find them. If they went to find Ohm without searching for an exit or other keys, they could very well find a dead end with no way to get back without the monster being on their tails. As for running away, there was no guarentee that there was a clear exit.

"...We really need to double check this floor to make sure we have everything we need to get out of here." Vanoss explained, offering an apologetic frown towards Delirious, who could only pout in response. "I don't wanna end up getting trapped because we couldn't find a key."

"Why... why not do both?" Bryce spoke up, eyes lighting up at his plan. "You guys can look around and I can go ahead and find Ohm! We'll wait for you!"

"No offense, Bryce..." Delirious began, pointing a finger towards the blonde with a rather intense frown. "But that's the stupidest idea I've ever heard, and you're stupid for coming up with it!"

"Stupidest isn't even a word, Delirious!" Bryce argued back, crossing his arms. "And it's not that dumb! It's a way to cover more ground and also find the guy who knows what's going on!"

"You're gonna get your fuckin' head smashed in--!"

"It's not a bad idea actually." Vanoss cut in, almost laughing as Delirious whipped his head towards Vanoss, eyes wide with pure shock.

"ARE YOU INSANE, HE'S GONNA DIE--"

"No he won't, because he's not gonna be the one to go and find Ohm." Vanoss took immediately notice at how disappointed Bryce looked once he said that. Delirious squinted at the red jacketed boy, and he immediately knew that he did not like where this was going.

"Don't say it..." Delirious started with a pathetic groan.

"Delirious and I will go and find Ohm while Bryce stays behind to see what he can find around here and in the piano room." Delirious flopped back onto the bed in response as Bryce's mouth gaped open in disappointment. Vanoss continued. "Once you're done looking around, catch up to us. I just think that me and Delirious would be better off, since it's two of us. It would be just you if you went."

Bryce briefly considered asking why he and Vanoss couldn't just go on ahead while the other stayed behind to check things out but a glance between them told him that everyone would be more comfortable if Vanoss and Delirious stuck together. There was something there that Bryce really didn't want to get involved with, even if he wasn't sure what it was exactly.

"...Promise you won't leave Ohm to die?" Bryce finally asked, wringing his wrists as his eyes darted between the two others. "I'm not gonna listen unless you actually try to help him. I have too many questions for him to answer and all, so that's the deal."

"Ugh--" Vanoss rolled his eyes. "We can't promise that we'll get to him in time but we'll try our hardest."

"He could already be dead anyway." Delirious regretted his words when he saw Bryce tense up. "... Or... Or maybe he's fine?"

"He has to be fine..." Bryce mumbled but he knew that those were the best answers he was going to get. So he held out his hand for the key, which was gladly given to him and then he glanced down into the piano room. Vanoss and Delirious followed his gaze and a moment of uncomfortable silence refilled the room.

"...We shouldn't waste any time." Vanoss finally spoke up. "We should hurry. Bryce, be careful."

"...You too. Both of you." Bryce gave a small smile as he bent down to jump into the hole to the piano room.

Delirious and Vanoss both nodded before hurrying out of the room. Bryce watched them leave, ignoring the worry he felt for his two new friends and Ohm. He knew that at the moment, there wasn't much he could do but search the rooms as soon as possible, get what they needed and get back to Vanoss and Delirious as soon as possible

With that in mind, he jumped into the piano room.   
  



	11. Memory 5 - The Medicine Cabinet

_Evan was a lot heavier than Ryan expected but after some struggling, he had managed to get the unconscious man back to the main halls, and up to a room in the second floor. He laid Evan safely on a bed and immediately placed his hands on the other's burning hot cheeks. The wounded man was pale and sweating and Ryan hated himself for letting his friend get this bad._

_"Evan..." Ryan tried calling out to him in an effort to stir him from his sleep. Just to see if he was even still alive. Just to see that he was still here. "Evan, hey, buddy-- Wake up, wake up."_

_He gave Evan a few gentle slaps to the cheek and he got nothing but a weak whimper from the other's throat. Ryan felt his heart drop as he realized that there was no way he was going to be able to keep going while Evan was in such a state. He had to go find medicine or new bandages or something and to do that, he was going to have to leave Evan alone._

_"Evan!" He tried again, and this time, he got a response. The black haired boy startled awake, just barely, and for a moment, his eyes scanned the room before settling on Ryan's face._

_"...What...?"_

_Ryan breathed a sigh of relief and ran his hand carefully across Evan's cheek who stared up him with a squint. Finally, Ryan let go and stared down at the other and sighed. "Evan, you look really shitty." He finally spoke with a bit of humor._

_"...feel shitty..." Came the weak reply that made Ryan's face fall a little._

_"I bet." Ryan turned and watched the door to the room, knowing that if that monster decided to give up on chasing Bryce and managed to come find him that they were screwed. Evan was defenseless and Ryan wasn't going to be able to protect him. He shouldn't think about it but the possibility of it made it almost impossible for Ryan to leave. "I need to go find you some medicine, so I need to leave you here..."_

_"...Okay." Evan didn't argue, and Ryan figured that he probably wasn't feeling strong enough to argue._

_"Can you move?"_

_"...I guess." Evan offered a shrug and Ryan began to have second thoughts but..._

_"If you hear anything, and I mean ANYTHING..." Ryan gestured towards the bed Evan laid on or the closet. "You have to hide and don't make a fucking peep... I won't be here to help and I want you to stay safe and get better so we can go and find Jonathan and Bryce as soon as possible."_

_Evan's face softened at the mention of Jonathan and Ryan couldn't stop the smile from slipping onto his face. Hopefully the thought of Jonathan would be enough to keep Evan awake and somewhat aware. Still, he wanted to take another measure to make sure of Evan's safety._

_He walked over to the door and examined it carefully, noticing a lock on the doorknob. Turning the small latch on it, he smiled when he heard a click. He could lock the door behind himself when he left so at the very least, the monster would make a rather loud racket before breaking into the room._

_"Okay... I'll knock on the door as loud as I can when I come back, Evan." Ryan instructed at the boy who stared at him weakly, from his bed. "We'll get you some medicine and get you back on your feet as soon as possible."_

_"Mm... I'd like that."_

_Ryan smiled and opened to the door and began to head out but Evan's coughing caught his attention. He looked back with concern as Evan covered his mouth and laid back to stare at the ceiling. "Ryan, please be careful." He finally requested, not looking away from the ceiling._

_"You too, Evan."_

* * *

 

  
_Ryan had looked around the house for about three hours, with him periodically checking on the locked door to Evan's room to just make sure it was still locked. He didn't find much but he absolutely knew that by checking every corner of the house, and under ever nook and cranny, you could find a lot of stuff._

_Like, for example, finding a key taped under the railing of the staircase. Ryan briefly thought back to when he had first realized his friends were missing, and how he thought he had felt something under the railing but then passed it off as the carvings in the wood. Well, turns out he was wrong and now he was a bit angry at himself for missing something so obvious. But all that mattered now was that he had a key and that gave him yet another room to explore. But before he could make a move, the door to the backrooms opened slowly and Ryan thought he heart was going to stop. He froze like a deer in headlights and a flash of blue almost made him lose his mind._

_Then it clicked._

_"Ryan?"_

_"Jonathan!" Ryan suddenly grinned and dashed down the stairs towards the blue sweatered man. Arms wrapped around the other and squeezed and Jonathan gladly accepted the hug, patting Ryan on the back happily. "Holy shit, I'm so glad to see that you're alive..."_

_"Same to you, man, holy shit." Jon beamed from ear to ear, making the grin contagious to Ryan. "Dude, that fuckin' thing chased me for so long, I thoughts I was a fuckin' goner for a little bit."_

_"But you're alive..." Ryan pointed out with a breathless smile and Jonathan nodded proudly. He backed away from Ryan and held out his arms, showing absolutely no injuries whatsoever and Ryan felt relieved that Evan seemed to be the only other person injure, at least for now._

_At the thought of Evan, his face fell and Jonathan immediately noticed. "Ryan, what's up? Did you find Evan or Bryce? I left Evan upstairs and I was really hoping you found him-- He was really hurt..."_

_"Yeah, I know." Ryan squeezed the key in his hand, glancing down the hall at a door that had yet to be unlocked. That would be the first door he would check and began to move his way towards it. "We looked for you and Bryce for a bit, after I bandaged his shoulder as best as I could with his jacket. But, he's not doing too good, Jonathan. He's fighting an infection, I think... and I'm trying to find medicine."_

_"Shit... Shit--" Jonathan's face fell and he twisted to face the stairs. "Is he upstairs?!"_

_"Yes, but the door is locked, Jonathan. I took a lot of precautionaries to make sure he stayed safe." He just didn't think that dragging an unconscious body around with him was the safest idea. "I found this key and I'm hoping I find something somewhere."_

_"Well, the door you're heading to right now is a bathroom." Jonathan pointed out, and when Ryan raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly explained himself. "I found a map scribbled on the wall in another room, in the back. It took a bit to understand it but I figured some shit out. You're heading towards a bathroom."_

_"So... maybe there's some medicine in the cabinet then?"_

_"Maybe?" Jonathan shrugged heavily, tugging at his sleeves uncomfortably. He was itching to go find Evan, he knew, so he sighed._

_"Okay, come check this room out with me and then we'll take a break and go check on Evan, okay?" Ryan gestured towards the room in question, watching at Jonathan hesitate. "We'll stay with him a lot but then after that... We're gonna have to make a plan or something. He's too weak to move alone."_

_Jonathan was quiet for a while, going over his choices but he finally made the move to follow Ryan. "Okay, let's hurry up. If that door doesn't unlock, then we go back to Evan, okay?"_

_"You got a deal."_

* * *

 

_Ryan felt as if his luck were turning around._

_The door unlocked without a problem, revealing the bathroom behind the door. The room was entirely clean, without a speck of soap scum, dirt or rust to be seen, as if it were never used. It made Ryan question just how new this place was. At home, rumors always spoke like the house itself was hundreds of years old. And yet, it had working lamps, lights, modern furniture and a more recent kitchen._

_It was strange, and it was something that Ryan was definitely going to have to look into once they got out of there. If they got out of there. As he looked through cabinets and under the sink, he let that thought linger in his mind. Evan was hurt and Bryce was still missing. Did Bryce get away from when he led the monster away from him and Evan? Was he still alive?_

_The thought of losing Bryce tore Ryan's heart to shreds. He couldn't bare the thought of it before, but now that the possibility of it happening was upon them, he found it harder to ignore. After they took care of Evan, that was his next mission: Find and save Bryce. He had to, no matter what._

_His hand brushed against a bottle, and Ryan snatched it up and looked it over. "Holy shit, pills--" Ryan looked over and watched Jonathan perk up. He grinned widely and held up the medication he had found. "I found some medicine! And-- there's some cloth in here-- Thread and a needle... Jonathan, we could sew up his wound, clean it up and rewrap it."_

_Jonathan grinned widely like an excited child as he grabbed for the cloth and the medicine. "Holy shit... This shit will definitely help him. It's got to! Ryan, you're a damn GENIUS." He screeched out happily, leaving Ryan to smile sheepishly in response._

_"It's working out in the end-- C'mon, let's go back to Evan." Ryan laughed as Jonathan ran out of the room and down the hall._

_He couldn't help but think of how cute the two of them had gotten over the past year of when they started dating. He remembered how they came out to their group of friends, and how they all exclaimed that it was about time they had gotten together. They were a match made in heaven, and Ryan was glad that they had each other. They brought out the best in each other and it made Ryan wish that he had someone like that._

_He slowly trailed after Jonathan, watching as he bounded up the stairs like an excited child... and then Ryan stopped. Another chill ran down his spine, a feeling he became too familiar with lately, and he suddenly wrapped his arms around himself before he glanced over the hall. Something was wrong. It was just too quiet. He realized he hadn't heard Jonathan start beating down the door upstairs. He didn't hear happy yelling or footsteps or..._

_Something was so wrong._

_He hurried upstairs, nearly running into Jonathan on the way up. Jonathan stood at the foot of the stairs, staring straight ahead, eyes wide and face pale. Ryan let his eyes trail over to what Jonathan was staring at and suddenly, his world came crashing down._

_The door to Evan's room was completely torn off of the hinges and thrown aside, with splinters of wood sprawled out all over the floor. The room of safety that Ryan had confidence in had been infiltrated and he was afraid to look inside. His legs wouldn't move, even when Jonathan sprang into action and ran for the door, stopping dead when he looked inside._

_Then a sob tore from Jonathan's lips, hand shooting up to cover his mouth in shock. Ryan forced himself to move. He shakily walked over to Jonathan, feeling sick to his stomach. He looked inside and suddenly his fears became a reality._

_"Evan..."_

_The room was completely dismantled, sheets tossed everywhere, books thrown about, and the wall nearly busted through... and next to the wall, Evan laid on the floor, curled up in a puddle of red. He wasn't moving. He laid there, still as can be and Ryan couldn't see him breathing. Blood stained the floor, and from the looks of it, it looked like Evan was dragged at some point, if the trail of blood meant anything._

_Evan was gone and the demon was nowhere to be found._

_Jonathan cried out and ran for Evan, scooping up his limp body in his arms and holding him close. "Please, no, please please, oh God please--" He shook the man in his arms, grabbing his face to look at him. "God, Evan, please don't do this, please wake up...!"_

_Ryan stumbled over to them, collapsing to his knees once he made it over. He gently took Evan's cold hand and held it, staring at the large, bleeding wound in his friend's chest. He watched as Jonathan buried his face in Evan's neck, letting out loud sobs against the other's skin._

_"God-- God, Evan no..." Ryan whispered, squeezing the hand he held. "I should've taken him, I should've-- I could've carried him, I could have--" The guilt was overwhelming, and Ryan felt as if he were going to get swallowed by it._

_"Fuck, fuck FUCK--" Jonathan cursed loudly, tears streaming down his face. He rocked gently as he pulled Evan closer to him and held him close. He kept mumbling apologies and curses and kept praying for someone, something, to bring back Evan, just to please bring him back one more time._

**_One more time._ **

_Those three words echoed in Ryan's head as he stared down at his friend's body. If he had one more time- one more chance-- could he have saved Evan? He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered now, except that he had to get Jonathan and Bryce out of here. For Evan. Surely that's what he wanted, wasn't it?_

_"...J-Jonathan, listen we--" Ryan trailed off, watching as Jonathan didn't even look up in his direction. Instead, he kept a tight grip on Evan, muttering apologies to him and Ryan suddenly felt as if he couldn't do it. He couldn't tell Jonathan to move. Not yet, not now. Not until he was ready, not until he said his goodbyes._

_So, with tears steadily falling from their eyes, Ryan sat there and held Evan's cold and stiff hand tightly as he listened to Jonathan whisper words into their late friend's blood stained hair._

_"I love you.. I love you... I love you so much..."_

_And it tore Ryan to pieces._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh. Oops. Don't hate me for the sadness! Stay tuned for more!


	12. Key

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for hallucinations/sudden flashbacks? Also panic attacks. But hey I had more fun writing this chapter this time. Memory may take a day or two, sorry in advance. Still planning out what I want for the next memory.

"Are you sure we should've left Bryce behind?"

  
Delirious' question echoed throughout the hall as he and Vanoss slipped through the door to the back rooms on the first floor. Vanoss looked over his shoulder to his companion to acknowledge the question, but before sparing an answer, he checked all corners of the hall to make sure they were still safe at the moment.

"I dunno, what do you think?" Vanoss asked for Delirious' opinion, crossing his arms as he waited for the answer. When nothing came, and only a shrug was given in response, Vanoss decided to continue. "I thought it would just be better if you and I scouted ahead."

Vanoss considered the rule: Strength in numbers. Plus, in the short time that he had stayed with Delirious, he felt as if they were already close. At the very least, he felt like he could trust the guy, even if his laugh made him sound like a maniac. If they came across the demon, they could easily work together to outsmart it, right?

Plus, Bryce had seemed to dead set on trying to save Ohm, which was understandable. Maybe Bryce felt like he owed the other a debt for saving his life. Honestly, Vanoss felt the same way. But what was more important now was finding a way out. If they came across Ohm along the way, so be it. But, he knew they would be more capable of running if Ohm turned out to be a lost cause.

He was afraid Bryce wouldn't. If Bryce came by himself or with Delirious or himself, he could very well jeopardize everyone if he didn't handle the possibility of Ohm dying well. All in all, it was just a precautionary.

"You think Bryce will be okay being left behind though?" Delirious looked over his shoulder as they left the front of the house behind in favor of traveling towards the back rooms.

"Why wouldn't he? I doubt the monster will be able to get to him without it passing us first." Unless there was another way to the backrooms but he really didn't want to think of the possibility.

They came to a part way, one door to the right, the other straight ahead. They took a moment to decide before Delirious headed for the right door, turning the knob to open it, only to realize that it was locked. In response to that, Vanoss tried the door straight ahead, grinning a bit when it opened with ease.

"So, I guess we're only goin' through the unlocked doors for now?" Delirious questioned as Vanoss stepped through.

"Yeah, no use stressing over keys unless we absolutely have to." Vanoss held the door open for Delirious, who scoffed and hurried through. "We might have a straight path to the exit, after all."

Upon seeing the new room, Vanoss suddenly wondered why this house needed so many damn libraries. Because, yes, they had just walked into another library. Not as many bookshelves were seen in this particular library but it was still way too many books for his liking.

Delirious must have had the same thought, memories of their time spent in the other library passing through his head. He quickly moved through the room, being careful of corners and Vanoss wasted no time in following him. Up ahead, he saw another part in the path, with a door to the left and one to the right. Before he could even bring it up though, Delirious stopped short, causing Vanoss to slam right into his back.

"FUCKING-- SHIT--" The two stumbled over, cursing loudly as Vanoss grabbed his arms around Delirious' waist before he hit the ground. At the same time, Delirious' shot his hands out to catch himself on the floor and the flailing nearly knocked Vanoss over himself. But, thankfully, neither hit the floor and they just sat there in an uncomfortable silence for a moment as they got over the apparent panic of tripping over the other.

"Will ya watch where you're fuckin' going?!" Delirious finally demanded, shooting a glare up at the man who held onto his waist tightly.

"Why did you stop so suddenly?!"

"Because I saw somethin', so get the hell off'a me!!" Delirious shoved at Vanoss, and apparently that was all it took to fuck up the balance because without warning, the red jacketed man fell right on over, thankfully, off of Delirious.

Vanoss huffed angrily as Delirious climbed to his feet and wandered over to a bookshelf. "Why's this book facing the wrong way? It looks like something's shoved in it."

Vanoss sat up from his spot on the floor and watched as Delirious pulled out the backwards book, and even from his spot on the floor, Vanoss could see something had been shoved into that book. As Delirious opened it, however, whatever it was fell to the floor with a small sound that echoed throughout the room.

"Is it a key?" Vanoss asked, eyeing it but a closer look said that it was too big to be a key.

"...I mean sorta?" Delirous picked it up, moving it over to let Vanoss see it.

A piano key. Vanoss kinda wanted to slap it out of Delirious' hand to spite the poor joke this had all become but he held it back. For now. He did stare at Delirious with a deadpan look though. "A piano key. Really? Why is it in there? Why is--" He sighed and threw his hands up. "Fuck it, nothing here makes sense. Why start trying now?"

Delirious couldn't stop the giggling at how exasperated Vanoss was becoming over the piano key. "Maybe it goes to that piano in the main rooms." He said, taking it and gently putting it into his pocket. "Not that it really matters, I guess..."

"Yeah, we have more important shit to do, so quit reading, you bookworm." Vanoss stood back up and grabbed for Delirious' wrist. "Let's goooo, I fucking hate libraries now because of last time. Now choose, left or right."

As they approached the two doors in question, Delirious crossed his arms, eyeing both doors for a moment as he tried to make his decision. As he was making his decision, Vanoss inched closer to the other as he rubbed his own arm uncomfortably. He hated being out in the open now, because of all of this.

He briefly wondered what would happen if they did escape? They couldn't remember anything. Nothing but fear, and he wondered if that was how they were going to have to live once they escaped. He felt the negativity suddenly flood into his body and the panic began to set in once more, but--

"Eenie, meenie... minie... moe." Delirious cut through the tension as if he had the knife to do so in his hand at that very moment. The panic erased itself almost instantly and Vanoss rolled his eyes at the other's method of choosing. "Catch a tiger by it's nose... If it hollers, let it go."

Vanoss watched his finger dart in between the two doors in question, clearing his throat in an effort to tell Delirious to hurry up. He scoffed. "Fine, bitch. Mama says to pick the best one and you are--"

The door on the left opened slightly with a small creak that made the two boys jump out of their skin. They didn't move an inch as the sound of familiar breathing began to fill the room. And yet, despite that, they both heard a familiar voice call out to them.

_"Delirious... Vanoss... Come here, I'm here. Over here..."_

Was that... Ohm? Vanoss and Delirious both exchanged glances and didn't move from their spot. They couldn't see inside of the door, either, and it unnerved them. Something in their instincts screamed at them to not go towards Ohm's voice. Yet, the voice persisted.

 _"Guys, please come here... I need help."_ The door opened more but it was still too dark. Vanoss grabbed onto Delirious' hand. The other squeezed back.

"Ohm, is that really you?" Vanoss spoke up, eyes not budging from the door.

Delirious tugged at Vanoss' hand and before he could even protest, he was being pulled away from the opening door and towards the right door. "Yeah, yeah, Ohm..." There was so much distrust hidden in Delirious' voice. "C'mon over here, buddy, it's too dangerous for us to be out in the open, yeah."

The breathing from the open door only got louder and deeper. More urgent, even. It wasn't Ohm, Delirious and Vanoss both knew that. They knew better. A human didn't have that sort of breathing that sent chills down your spine, after all. Finally, the door opened some more, confirming their  fears when a large, black eye stared at them from the darkness and that was when Delirious sprung into action.

With one sharp tug, they turned and shot through the door on the right, listening as the door on the left opened with a slam, with heavy footsteps hurrying behind them.

* * *

 

The first thing Bryce noticed upon entering the piano room was the presence of yet another door in the piano room. Of course, though, once he had tried it, it was locked. He wasn't sure what he expected, really, but it still left him rather disappointed. He tried the key he had on it, but that didn't work either so for now, he left it alone.

Looking back at the piano, he was amazed at how new it looked really. It was really old fashioned yet, like everything else, not a speck of dust was found on it. Running a hand over the keys, he stopped when he noticed that one key in particular was missing, torn out of the piano completely. Looking around, he didn't see the key on the floor at all, and he found it weird that whoever would just tear out one key in particular. The rest of the keys were perfectly in tact as well.

Bryce was extremely tempted to press the key on the piano, and something about it was familiar to him. Maybe he knew how to play the piano before he lost his memory and as much as he wanted to sit down and try it out to maybe jog his memory, he knew it would make unneeded noise and waste a lot of time.

So, sparing one more glance around the suspiciously calm piano room, he went towards the exit, unlocking it swiftly before leaving.

He spent the next few minutes scouting the second floor, and then the third to see if any doors unlocked but he quickly learned that the key was much too small to use on any of the doors on the three main floors. He bit his lip for a moment, shaking the knob on the third floor but getting nowhere.

"Dang it..." He grumbled, putting the key back into his pocket. "I guess it's useless here. And I guess this was a huge waste of time. Good job, Bryce, so proud of ya."

He stopped long enough to shake his head at the fact that he was now talking to himself. He needed to stop that before it became a habit, he thought to himself as he climbed down the stairs back to the second floor. He was greeted by the sight of a door that he had not opened before. To be more exact, it was the door to the very same room where he met Ohm for the first time.

And curse him for being curious, but he couldn't help but quickly go over and take a peek inside of the room. Absolutely no one was inside, and nothing seemed different... except for the lone bottle of pills that laid on the floor. Those... weren't there earlier, were they? He frowned and briefly wondered if Vanoss or Delirious had left them there, but why pills?  

He frowned and walked over, scooping them up with one swipe before reading the label. Antibiotics? Why would anyone need antibiotics? Well... in such a situation like this, maybe everyone did. Turning slightly, he rotated the bottle, listening to the pills inside rattle loudly. He was relatively calm until he heard a soft voice in the back of his head.

 _'Evan...'_  
  
He blinked, wondering why that name would suddenly jump into his head. It was such a random name, after all. He didn't know any Evans, as far as he knew anyway. But before he could even think of investigating the matter any further, his vision flashed and for a moment, in the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a flash of blue standing in the doorway.

He turned violently, and with another flash, the figure at the door was gone and suddenly Bryce didn't want to be here anymore. He no longer felt safe, so he shoved the bottle of pills into the pocket of his skinny jeans and ran out of the door. He wanted to catch up to Delirious and Vanoss as soon as possible. Because something wasn't right. And he didn't want to be alone when that Something revealed itself.

* * *

 

As Vanoss and Delirious ran into the next room, they were greeted by what seemed like an entirely different part of the house in general. The floors were worn out and breaking, the wall paper was peeling and the lights were all out, leaving them in a slight darkness. But it didn't stop them from running from the danger that pursued them.

They had a choice of, once again, heading up the stairs or the choice of going down the hall and take a right, and hopefully not hit a dead end. Vanoss felt Delirious grab him by the wrist and charge upstairs, and honestly, Vanoss respected the decision. After all, their luck had recently revealed that almost every door they came across could very well be locked. That would suck.

But it wasn't until they reached the very top of the staircase that something in Vanoss suddenly seemed to snap. Nausea hit him hard, leaving him breathless and even while they were in the darkness, everything was too bright for him. Too loud. He tripped over the last step and fell to his knees, gripping his head. Delirious nearly fell back with him.

"SHIT-- Vanoss, what--?!" Delirious didn't get the sentence out before looking back to see the demon slowly crawling its way up the stairs. He panicked and struggled to get Vanoss to his feet. "Vanoss, holy shit, come on!"

Vanoss stared blankly at Delirious, holding his head tightly.

_'Think you'll be okay enough to come with me to find Jonathan?'_

_'I can't believe we both lost our boyfriends.'_

_'Put me down and fucking run...!'_

Familiar voices flooded into Vanoss' mind, and he couldn't think straight enough to sort through them. To find out who said what, or what happened, or where he was. He saw flashes of one of the rooms back on the main floors, saw flashes of a cage, saw flashes of a man--

"VANOSS." Delirious had enough and snatched Vanoss away from the stairs. The creature was almost up, but the blue jacketed boy wasted no time. He pushed Vanoss away and then grabbed onto a small table that had an empty, blue vase sitting on top of it and began to pull it towards the stairs. With one tug, he pulled it over and pushed it down the stairs, watching as it slammed right into the face of the demon, causing it to get knocked down the stairs with a loud crash.

Delirious took that opportunity to grab Vanoss and high tail it down the hall, away from the stairs. Vanoss could only stumble after him, unable to focus through the mess going through his head.

_'Evan, we have to go after them! Bryce is in trouble!'_

_'Ryan, please be careful.'_

_'I love you.. I love you... I love you so much...'_

A nearby door suddenly opened and a pair of hands reached out to grab Delirious and Vanoss and pulled them into the room. Vanoss fell over, eyes wide as the visions or hallucinations or whatever the fuck it was finally began to stop. Delirious, however, began swinging the minute they were pulled in.

"GET THE FUCK OFF'A ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH. You waNNA FIGHT, YOU REALLY WANNA--" One smack of the fist was enough to get the assailant to cry out and back off with a loud whine.

"Dude, stop that, it's me!"

Vanoss and Delirious both looked up and were greeted by the familiar sight of a bunny rabbit hoodie. Vanoss stared up at the eyes shadowed by his hood over his head and for a split moment, he felt his heart rate calm down. But then he remembered the visions and suddenly, he was back in his daze, opting to look at the floor below him as Delirious sent another punch towards Ohm's shoulder.

"OW-- What the fuck was that for!?" Ohm cried out, holding his shoulder as he gave Delirious an offended look.

"Cuz you said you were gonna keep that fucker busy!" Delirious accused, pointing a finger towards the new arrival. "It almost got us! It-- It-- Jesus, man, it fucked up Vanoss real good! Look at him, he's having a fucking panic attack!"

Vanoss closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to tell Delirious that that wasn't the reason why he suddenly began to feel unwell but it went completely unnoticed by the shorter. Ohm, however, saw and gently pushed Delirious aside.

"He just shook his head." He clarified, before leaning down to sit next to Vanoss. Vanoss looked back, face pale as he began to catch his breath. "Are you okay, what happened?"  
Delirious immediately copied Ohm, immediately reaching over to place a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. Vanoss appreciated that more than he ever had before now. He reached up and placed his hand over Delirious' and struggled to find the words.

"I... I-I don't know--" He finally answered, eyeing Delirious. "I heard... I heard voices-- I heard-- I SAW... I saw things. I saw someone-- I saw..." He looked between Delirious and Ohm, noticing the puzzled expressions. "I don't know, I don't-- I heard names. I saw someone I didn't know..."

Ohm shifted uncomfortably. "What names did you hear?"

Vanoss closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Four... Four names. The only one I recognize is... is Bryce. I heard his name."

"The Bryce we know?" Delirious spoke up, squeezing Vanoss' shoulder, who could only shrug.

Vanoss began to speak more but Ohm held out a hand to stop him. "Hey, hey, you're obviously shook up about this. For now, just take a breather, mmkay?" He waited for the nod from Vanoss before glancing towards Delirious. "Now that we're talking about him... Where... is Bryce, exactly?"

Delirious gave Ohm a worried look and Ohm felt his heart sink. "We left him behind to make sure all the rooms were cleared out." He saw Ohm's jaw drop and he quickly continued. "We went ahead of him to come and find you. He was really worried about you and we were-- We were afraid that if we sent him ahead instead of us, he'd do something dumb. No offense, Ohm, but like. We barely know you."

It was only for a split second, but Delirious could have sworn that Ohm almost seemed relieved at that fact. But it was quickly washed over with worry. "But now, it seems all three of us kind of lost the monster... We really need to get back with Bryce before it finds him..." Ohm quickly climbed to his feet but spared a look at Vanoss. "Ev-- Vanoss, are you okay to walk?"

Vanoss' heart stopped. What was he going to say again? Ev.

_Evan?_

That was clearly one of the names he had heard before.

"Vanoss?" Delirious spoke up, noticing the way Vanoss' posture stiffened when Ohm addressed him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Vanoss snapped out of it and quickly nodded. "...Yeah... Yeah, yeah... I... I can walk. We need to find Bryce, I agree... I'll be fine, really." He grabbed onto Delirious' hand and the other pulled him safely to his feet, as Ohm opened the door to the room and glanced outside.

"It seems safe, but keep your eyes peeled. The monster likely moved on, but it's still lurking, looking for us... or for Bryce." Ohm instructed and Delirious and Vanoss both nodded quickly.

As Ohm left the room, Vanoss called out to him. "Ohm, when we get Bryce, we're coming back here and we're sitting down and we're having a damn talk about all of this."

Ohm froze, looking over his shoulder at Vanoss, who shot him a suspicious glare. There was a moment of tension before Ohm let out a sigh.

"...Alright. We'll talk."


	13. Memory 6 - Cell Phones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY IF THIS SEEMS RUSHED OR IF THERE ARE MISTAKES. It's 6 am and I need sleep and yet here I stand. Or sit. Either way.

_They walked in silence for a long while._

_Too long, if you had to ask Ryan. Evan's death had obviously hit the two of them hard, Jonathan more than Ryan. He was different and Ryan couldn't blame him. Evan, his other half, the yin to his yang, was gone, forever. He wasn't coming back and the reality of those words were dark and heavy. It took everything in Ryan's power to get Jonathan to leave Evan's body behind, and of course, Jonathan lashed out._

_He didn't want to leave him. He wanted to take the body with him. He wanted to give Evan something better than what he had gotten. Something better than leaving him in a bed in the very same room where he had lost his life. But they couldn't bring him. He couldn't bare to let Jonathan have to deal with that. No, it was better to just get his friend away from the body as soon as possible, Ryan thought._

_Jonathan was furious, and for good reason, and so, they walked in silence as they found their way to the broken down section of the house. Was it appropriate to call it the annex? Ryan wasn't positive, really, but then again, he didn't know a thing about this house so he supposed it didn't matter._

_His mind thought back to when he ran into Jonathan before investigating the bathroom for the medicine. He had mentioned finding a map scribbled on the wall in a room in the back. So, the map had to be around here, then, right? He wanted to ask about it but with every look towards Jonathan, he felt his throat close up. He couldn't bring himself to speak. Not with the guilt he felt over Evan's death._

_Not with every fiber of his being screaming at him that it was his fault that Evan was dead._

_But to his surprise, Jon spoke up first, his voice drained of all emotion and just full of exhaustion. "...The map I saw... th' one I told ya about..." He started, glancing weakly over his shoulder at Ryan, who could only nod gently for him to continue. "Looked it over. Makes this place feel like a damned maze..."_

_"...Are we close to getting out of here at all?" Ryan choked out his question and received a bitter laugh in return._

_"Not... not even close... Not even close." He chuckled a bit, running a hand over his face. "We have a long way to go... Evan didn't even make it outta stage one... That's what gets me. We coulda been so close. Coulda been so close to getting out of here. I could have stayed with him, and I could have protected him. But nah. No. No."_

_The bitter laugh came again. "He died at the very front of the house. HAha-- It's just... It's so stupid, Ryan. He was the most in charge motherfucker I've ever-- I've ever met in my fuckin' life. And he just up and dies at the very beginning!"_

_Ryan stayed silent during his rant, and he felt his insides twist up. Jonathan went quiet again, slumping his shoulders, and Ryan didn't respond. Instead of bringing up the tears that began to pour down his friend's face, he decided to play strong for the both of them. He had to, for Jonathan and for Bryce when they found him._

_"...I'll uh... uh... I'll lead y' to the... the map." Jonathan finally stammered and Ryan could only nod before whispering a response._

_"Okay..."_

* * *

  
_The map was drawn as haphazardly as Jonathan had mentioned. It showed all of the floors on the main three floors, plus the back rooms, along with the dungeon and the giant library they had passed. They were currently in another part of the building, which was only two stories high, plus a basement._

_The basement seemed to be where they needed to go, since it would lead through a few underground storages, before ultimately leading back up to a passageway... which led to yet ANOTHER building. And in that building, was yet another basement which, ultimately, led to the surface, outside._

_Jonathan was not joking when he said the place was like a fucking maze. Ryan began to feel as if everything was becoming hopeless. They had already lost Evan and he couldn't bear the thought of losing Jonathan or Bryce next... especially since the last time he saw Bryce was hours ago when he used himself as a distraction to save Ryan and Evan. Did he even get away?_

_Ryan spent a good while, staring at the map as he tried to commit it to memory, while Jonathan took the opportunity to lean against a nearby wall and rest. Ryan frowned, knowing his friend was barely hanging in there so he decided he was going to have to double his efforts to get all of them outside alive._

_After a few more minutes of silence, Ryan heard a small clicking followed with the beeps of a cellphone. He looked over his shoulder, watching Jonathan sit against the wall, knees to his chest as he held his cellphone in front of him, clicking away at it. "...Jonathan, what are you doing?"_

_Jonathan stopped, glancing down at the floor before returning to texting whomever he was texting. "...Texting Luke." He whispered, voice cracking._

_"You have a signal?!"_

_Jonathan flinched, reminded of the shitty situation they were in. He shook his head furiously and squinted, tears welling up in his eyes. "Well... Well no... but... but I guess I'm pretending. Or hoping that... that maybe my texts will go through... And then Luke can come and help us..."_

_Ryan stayed silent and Jonathan must have taken that as the other judging him, because he shot a glare at his friend. "Listen, it just makes me feel better. Just makes me feel like things are... Like things are okay. Don't judge."_

_It was true that Jonathan, contrary to his loud and hyper personality, wasn't very good in social situations and it was common to see his nose in his phone when out in public. Ryan was the same way, after all. Jonathan's phone was his comfort item, so Ryan nodded and looked back towards the map._

_"I think I have a good idea of where we need to go. Hopefully we won't have to come back for the map." Ryan turned to face down the hall, listening as Jonathan pushed his phone into his pocket and climb to his feet._

_"This way?" He pointed down the hall, watching as Ryan nodded._

_"The door on the right, at the very end of the hall."_

_"Okay..." Jonathan grunted in reply before trudging his way down the hallway._

_Ryan began to follow but Jonathan's actions from before tugged at something in Ryan's mind. Slipping his hand into the pocket of his hoodie, he felt at the phone that laid inside. He grabbed it and pulled it out, turning it on to notice that the time hadn't changed from when they had gotten there. He wondered if Jonathan realized it._

_He unlocked it with a swipe and a tap of his thumb and opened his messages and suddenly his heart ached as he read over some of the messages. All of his friends were in on the bet, and a lot of the messages were sent some time before Ryan and the others left for the haunted mansion. A few in particular caught his eye._

_**Brian: I kno i was supposed to come w/ you guys, but something came up with family so good luck, dont die. : D** _

_Oh, that's right, Brian was supposed to come with them, since he lost the bet too. He supposed it was a good thing he didn't come. He couldn't bear the thought of having to face Brock if something had happened to Brian. It was unbearable. He sighed and swiped through the messages._

_**Brock: Haunted house is cool and all, and i know Jonathans gonna want to explore but dont forget that the real danger is the centuries old house falling apart. Don't fall in the holes. If it looks too unstable, just leave and we'll findyou guys another hauntedd house to stay in. Safety first. have fun, and be good. :)** _

_Ryan almost wanted to laugh. Brock's concern about the whole bet wasn't ghosts or secret murderers or anything. He was just worried about the structure falling to pieces, which at the time was an understandable concern. They had all agreed that if it was too unstable, they would find somewhere else but at the time... He didn't finish that thought. Swipe, tap._

_**Tyler: make sure evan dont bitch out last second. u gotta make sure he stays the whole 24 hours!!!!! same w/ bryce but mostly evan bc lbr hes a lil bit of a bitch w/ this shit. have fun dont die bitches <3** _

_Ryan couldn't bear reading any more of the messages. He wasn't sure how long they've been here already. Their clocks had stopped working and the windows were too fogged up to see through. They tried to break them, but there wasn't even a dent left behind. He wondered if his friends even realized that something was wrong. Have they been gone long enough for them to realize that they most likely won't be coming back? Will they ever notice?_

_And more importantly, will they even dare to blame themselves for it? Would they think it was their fault for coming up with the bet to begin with? The thought of Evan's body laying on the floor, covered in blood as Jonathan sobbed over his body wrecked Ryan with guilt and he couldn't stand to think of his other friends having to deal with that guilt._

_... He was starting to miss them way more than he imagined. So, with a spare moment, he typed out a quick message to Tyler._

_**Ryan [ERROR: Not Sent]: everythings going wrong. im sorry im so sorry. i want to come home. i miss you guys.** _

_He sighed in defeat, pushing his phone into his pocket. He knew it wouldn't work but maybe Jonathan had a good idea. It seemed like it was a good way to vent at the moment. With that in mind, he hurried ahead to catch up with Jonathan._

* * *

  
_Upon going down to the basement, they weren't surprised by how dark it was getting down there, but it was unnerving as all hell. The floor still creaked under their feet and with every step they took, dust flew into the air and into their mouths, nearly choking Jonathan to death at one point._

_As they made their way through the basement, they were expecting a lot of things. Dead bodies, the monster waiting for them or some sort of blood cult shit that may have started all of this shit. But all they found were boxes full of useless items, and in the middle of the room, a blonde haired boy pointing a bright flashlight at them._

_"Ryan? Jonathan?" He called out cautiously as Ryan and Jonathan both shielded their eyes from the intense beam burning into their faces. "Holy cow, is it really you two this time?!"_

_His selection of words left Ryan curious but he dropped it for now, in favor of taking a few steps towards Bryce with a small smile appearing on his face. "Holy shit, you're--you're alive...! Bryce, I was so worried when you ran away after distracting that thing-- I thought you were..." He trailed off, counting a blessing or two when the flashlight was moved away from his face._

_There was a beat of silence as the three of them stared at each other, and finally the taller nearly knocked Ryan over with a bone crushing hug. Ryan gladly returned it, but a quick look at Jonathan made him loosen his grip as he spotted the look of sadness and envy wash over his face. If Bryce noticed, he didn't mention it for the time being. Instead, he buried his face in Ryan's neck before pulling away in favor of running over and wrapping his arms around Jonathan._

_"When that thing attacked and bit Evan-- I tried to get it to chase after me and it did!" Bryce started to explain, pulling away from Jonathan and looking towards Ryan. Ryan watched as Jon's face fell even more. "It only chased me for a little bit and then it went back. I was so worried about you guys, especially Evan and Ryan. Ryan, you didn't even know that we were attacked! I kept trying to find ways back to you but every time, that thing managed to block my path."_

_Ryan was starting to realize this thing was a bit craftier than he thought. Was it just playing with them? He wasn't sure. "What did you mean, earlier? 'Is it really you two this time?'" He brought it up and Bryce bit his lip for a moment._

_"That thing is... weird. Really weird." He started, folding arms across his chest. "It can mimic someone's voice. It copied your voice for me, Ryan. Tried telling me that you were in trouble, but when I went in... I... Let's just say I almost lost my head and leave it at that."_

_"Shit..." Jonathan ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Just as Ryan was about to go over and help him take a breather, Bryce asked the question that he was dreading from the boy._

_"Where's... Where's Evan? Wasn't he with you, Rya--"_

_"He's dead."_

_Jonathan's voice was numb, and his hands didn't leave his hair. Ryan closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the other's waist in comfort, but Jonathan responded by snatching himself away. Ryan backed up instantly, and chanced a look at Bryce, only for his heart to shatter into a million pieces._

_Bryce was horrified. The thought of one of his friends' dying-- like actually dying-- must not have crossed his mind but now that it happened, it was destroying him. His mouth fell open, and for a moment, no sound came out. His lips quivered as he looked over at Ryan for him to confirm. A nod was all it took for the flashlight to fall to the ground with a loud thump and Ryan was quick enough to catch Bryce before he fell to his knees with a sob._

_"No-- no no, that can't be true--" Bryce clung onto the hoodie that Ryan wore, soaking it with tears that streamed down his cheeks. "I don't-- I don't understand! How--Why?! Why Evan? How?!"_

_Ryan didn't know what to say, so Jonathan spoke for him._

_"He was sick from his fuckin' wound! He was sick and weak and alone! He was left alone--" The words cut deep into Ryan and suddenly he couldn't breathe. "He--He was left alone and while we were gone, that fucking THING BUSTED INTO HIS ROOM, AND MURDERED HIM!"_

_In a fit of anger, Jonathan swung his fist out and slammed it against the wall, letting the sound echo loudly throughout the basement. Ryan squeezed Bryce tightly, eyes watering again. He couldn't cry now, he couldn't... It was his fault that Evan was gone. His fault that Evan was dead and he wasn't allowed to cry about it. He didn't have a right._

_They sat in complete silence after that, allowing Jonathan to calm himself down, for Ryan to gather his thoughts, and for Bryce to mourn their recently fallen friend. Ryan ran his hand through Bryce's hair, shushing the small whimpers that left his mouth and at one point, he even offered a hand to Jonathan for him to join the hug, but his face fell immediately when he was refused._

_It hurt, really, but he wasn't sure if it really surprised him. He was angry and mourning, and because of that, Ryan would likely get the worst part from it._   
_Finally, Ryan climbed to his feet and pulled Bryce up with him. They had to keep going and fully mourn later. They decided on that much. But once Bryce reached for the flashlight on the floor, the light flickered off immediately, leaving them in pitch darkness._

_In the pitch black of the room, there was breathing._

_And then suddenly, something knocked down the wall of the basement._


	14. Journal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I've been planning out the next couple of chapters and I'm sooooo ready to get the rest of this story out! Gonna be so exciting *u* sorry for any repetitive phrases or mispellings or anything that feels rushed.

When Bryce entered the door that lead into the backrooms, he was suddenly left with a choice to make. Go straight, or go right and he wasn't sure which way Vanoss or Delirious had gone... The last thing he wanted to do was get lost after having that bad feeling earlier. If he got cornered and it turned out that the demon was following him... then...

He stopped himself from thinking of the worse and chose to go straight, only to find a large library behind the door. It seemed like the most likely choice now that he saw the library that laid within. Everything seemed in order, except for a book that had been dropped to the floor in such a careless fashion. Frowning, he wandered over and picked it up, flipping through it.

The words inside were handwritten instead of printed and it had no title, which led Bryce to think that maybe this was a journal of some kind. He flipped through the first few pages, taking note that it seemed to describe the monster's patterns and methods of catching it's prey. Scanning over it, he quickly closed the book and held it close as he hurried towards the next set of doors. 

Time to make another choice. Left or Right. He wandered over towards the left door and pressed his ear next to the door to try and get a read on it. At the very least, he wanted to make sure that it was safe before he began to barge in. Upon hearing nothing, he let out a sigh of relief before twisting the doorknob, and successfully pulling the door open.

Inside was just a small office, a lot more darkened than the rest of the house with nothing lighting up the room except for a dimming lamp sitting on top of the desk. A moth was endlessly trying to attack the light, and unceremoniously bouncing off of it with a small ' _tink_ ' every time. Bryce glanced around the room, finding nothing else of interest before closing the door behind him.

He wandered over to the desk, noticing a lone sheet of paper sitting under the light and once he looked closer, he sputtered as the moth suddenly turned and smacked him in the face. He flinched back, quickly moving his hand to shoo the offending bug away and grabbed for the paper that sat on the desk.

"...Sheet music?" He thought aloud as his eyes scanned over the notes written firmly across the yellowed piece of paper. "For the piano, maybe?" 

For the most part, he found himself able to play out the song in his head and he wondered briefly if he had played the piano or something before he had lost his memory. Images of small fingers dancing over the white keys of a piano entered his mind and he was suddenly unable to figure out if it was just images of his imagination, or flashes of memory shooting back into his mind. 

Regardless, the sheet music was worthless at the moment, considering that a key needed for the song was currently missing from the piano. At least, that much he was able to remember. Yet, something screamed at him to not part from the sheet music and as much as he wanted to leave it behind, he couldn't. Instead, he folded it very gently and placed it into the same pocket as the bottle of pills he found. 

There was nothing else worth looking for in this room and it seemed to be a dead end as well, so Bryce decided it was time to take his leave and continue his search for Vanoss, Delirious, and hopefully, Ohm. But when the doorknob to the room suddenly turned and the door slowly slid open, Bryce wasted no time in diving under the desk, curling up into a tight ball as heavy breathing filled the air of the already stuffy room.

Holding the journal he had found close to his chest, he shut his eyes tightly and held his breath as he listened to the heavy footsteps walk around the room, as if whoever it was was looking for something. Or someone. Bryce was sure that it was the demon and that it was searching for him, and he hoped that meant that Vanoss and Delirious were okay, and that Ohm hadn't been caught. He had to hold onto that hope.

Just when it seemed like the thing was going to leave, a voice suddenly jerked Bryce out of his fear. _"Bryce...? Are you in here...?"_

He blinked. Ohm?

Taking a chance, he peeked over the desk and realized his mistake when giant black eyes stared back at him. The creature stood in the middle of the room, grinning at him, knowing that his trick had worked. Bryce wanted to scream at himself. Of course it wasn't Ohm. Why would it have been? Maybe he was holding onto a little too much hope.   
The creature's breathing got heavier, and the yellow saliva began to drip from it's teeth as it got ready to pounce. Eyes darted around the room as Bryce tried to find anything, anywhere, that could save him or distract the monster or _something_. Finally, his eyes landed on the lamp and he grabbed for it. 

The monster stepped forward.

Bryce threw his hand back before pitching the lamp at the hunter's face, watching as it shattered against the blue skin and causing the creature to stumble back in surprise. Bryce took the opportunity to sprint past it, throwing the door to the room open as he ran out. He didn't look back to see if it was chasing him and instead closed the door behind him and ran for the right door.

A few things happened in the next few seconds. He threw the door open and ran in, only to run smack into someone else. The two tumbled over and fell onto the ground and then Bryce found himself staring into a pair of beautiful brown eyes that were normally hidden under the hood of a bunny hoodie. 

"Bryce..." Ohm spoke up, staring up at him with wide eyes before carefully pushing the other off of him. "You're okay--"

"Thank God--" Bryce looked up to see Vanoss and Delirious walk over with relief written on their faces. "We were afraid that thing might have gotten to you."

Vanoss reached over to help Bryce up, but Bryce suddenly realized the danger they were all in. Scrambling to his feet, he closed the door behind him and hurried past his three friends. "We gotta go somewhere safe, now. That thing was like-- right behind me!"

Ohm climbed to his feet and looked back at the door, before nodding in agreement. "Shit-- right, okay, let's hurry."

Ohm took the lead, gesturing for them to follow, and then the four of them hurried away in urgency.

* * *

  
"Are you... uh... Are you sure this room is safe?" Delirious, despite sounding cautious, flopped down in a nearby chair as he watched Ohm lock the door to the room. 

Ohm had led the group to a room on the second floor of the seemingly abandoned annex. The room was nothing special and just seemed to be another bedroom, maybe a guestroom? Though unlike the beginning of the house, dust sat everywhere and the bed looked absolutely disgusting that no one wanted to even go near it. The floor was old and wearing out, making Bryce afraid to take any unnecessary steps. An old lamp sat on the desk and it lit up the room just enough but the light kept flickering and threatened to leave the group in the danger of the darkness. 

"It's safe for now, but it wouldn't be a wise idea to stick around for too long." Ohm moved away from the door and stood in the middle of the room, watching as Bryce took a seat on the dusty floor and Vanoss leaning up against the wall.

"Well, we can stay long enough for you to answer some damn questions, right?" Vanoss raised an eyebrow at Ohm, who responded by pulling his hood down a bit, as if trying to hide his face. 

"...Yeah, I... I suppose so." Ohm visibly cringed. "...Who's first...?" 

"Where in the fucking fuck are we?" Delirious' question came first, earning nods of agreement from Bryce and Vanoss.

Ohm considered it for a moment before answering softly. "Obvious answer is a mansion. It seemed like a normal mansion at first but I kind of read around during the time I was here and found out this place is cursed or some shit. Or inhabited by a demon, if that wasn't very obvious. It's a mansion in the middle of a forest and most people thought it was just a myth but..." He held out his hands. "... here we are."

Vanoss took in the answer, but one look at his face said that it didn't make him feel better in the slightest. "Okay, but why are we here? Why can't we remember anything?"

"Well... aside from our names. Or, I guess these are our names." Bryce pointed out, staring down Ohm.

The bunnie-hooded man seemed to shift uncomfortably under the boy's stare before closing his eyes as if he were trying to make sense of the situation... or tried to find a suitable answer for it. "...I guess you guys decided to come to the mansion. Maybe for a dare or something, I dunno. As for the memory loss... I..." He fell silent, and Bryce felt as if the man were holding something back. "I'm not sure, maybe the demon's behind your memory loss..."

Bryce listened closely to Ohm, trying to determine if what he was saying was truthful or not. For the most part, the guy seemed pretty sincere and just as confused as the rest of them and Bryce couldn't help but feel like he needed to trust Ohm, no matter what. But that was all shattered when Ohm muttered his next words.

"I'm really not sure who you people are, honestly."

He was lying. About what, he's not entirely sure but that one sentence was a lie. Ohm knew Bryce's name when they first came across each other. Ohm knew something about Bryce and he wasn't being entirely honest about how that was possible. He wanted to call Ohm out on that and demand why he knew his name but instead, he kept quiet. After all, Vanoss and Delirious were already having problems trusting Ohm and Bryce felt like they needed Ohm if they wanted to escape without a problem.

So, for now, he kept quiet. He was going to hold onto his question for now.

"Well... Who are you, then?" Vanoss asked, raising an eyebrow. Before Ohm could answer, the black haired one spoke again. "Like, really. Who are you _really?_ We know your name but what are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

Another uncomfortable movement from Ohm was enough for Bryce to feel bad for the guy. But, instead of keeping quiet, he began to tell his story. "I, uh... I came here with some friends a while back. Uh... We lost a dare and the loser had to stay in the 'Haunted house' for two nights. That was about... I dunno... two months ago? I've kinda lost count."

Bryce, Vanoss and Delirious stared at Ohm in horror and suddenly Bryce's mind began to race. Ohm had been here for two months? Where were his friends? Were they dead? How had Ohm survived this long and didn't he hint at knowing where the exit was? 

"Two months?! Don't you know where the exit is though?" Delirious sputtered his question out, suddenly fearing for their chance to get out of the mansion. "Why the fuck haven't you left yet?!"

"Some shit has happened that's been stopping me from leaving." Ohm's answer was vague and it didn't make the other three feel better in the slightest. Noticing the doubtful looks on the group's faces, Ohm tried to clarify. "Listen, it's nothing you guys need to worry about. If we stick together, I can lead you guys to the exit and get everyone out of here. Maybe-- Maybe when you guys leave, your memories will come back, since you'd be away from that demon's influence."

Vanoss and Delirious both exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. It seemed simple enough and if they got out of there and didn't get their memories back, then that was something they could handle when they weren't in danger of being eaten by a giant, killer monster. 

Bryce didn't take his eyes off of Ohm, and the other definitely took notice of it. "Any other questions?" Ohm watched as Bryce's mouth opened to speak but Delirious managed to cut him off.

"Well, we know that thing can mimics-- er-- mimic a persons voice but what else can they do?" Bryce blinked over at Delirious. So they already knew about the mimicking? Good to know.

"Aside from killing us horribly," Ohm watched as everyone visibly paled. "Not much. It's a lot stronger than us, and could very easily break us if it managed to grab us. It's skin is tough and hard to stab but if you could manage to hit its eyes with something or-- shine a very bright light at his eyes, it could stop him for a bit."

So, it's eyes were the weak point then. Bryce glanced down at the journal he held in his hands and he briefly wondered if all of this information was in the journal. He'd have to read it later to confirm it to be true. 

"So punch it in the eye if you're caught." Vanoss clarified, earning a frown from Ohm.

"Yeah, but don't go testing that out, okay?"

"So..." Finally, Bryce spoke up and earned the attention of the other three. He looked at Ohm with curious eyes as he held the journal tighter. "How do we get out of here then? Where do we go now?"

The answer was quick as if it had been memorized by Ohm, and to be honest, with the amount of time he spent in this place, it was very likely that it _was_ memorized. "Our next step is to go through the basement." His face fell immediately. He almost looked sad about it. "The basement has a door that leads into a tunnel. We go through the tunnel and go to another portion of the house. That sorta leads to another underground section and in that section is a ladder that goes to the surface. That's one exit at least. It's the one we're focusing on for the time being."

"For the time being?" Bryce repeated and Ohm let out a defeated sigh. 

"...It always manages to block me from leaving that way. Something... something always happens. There's another exit but... but I haven't been able to find it." Ohm shook his head and shrugged. "So until we figure that out, we're focusing on the exit I already know about, okay?"

The group was silent but the nods showed that for the time being, they agreed on the plan. So, with that, Ohm gestured for Delirious and Vanoss to head out ahead of them. Delirious was the first to get up and open the door, but before he could head out, Vanoss grabbed his arm and pulled him back in before poking his own head out to make sure it was safe. The two left together and Bryce was close behind them... until he felt a gentle arm grab the back of his shirt and tug him back. 

"Bryce..." Ohm spoke up, his tone sending a small chill down his spine. "What's wrong?"

Oh, so he noticed that something was bothering him. Lovely. Bryce turned to face Ohm, letting his arms fall to his side, holding the journal in his left hand, carefully. He considered what he wanted to ask before speaking. "...How did you know me?"

"Huh?"

"Earlier, you knew my name." Bryce watched Ohm's face carefully. 

Ohm seemed confused at first about the supposed accusation and he glanced to the side as he tried to remember when he had said Bryce's name. "Oh... you mean earlier when we found you? I... heard your name from Vanoss and Delirious."

He was lying. They both knew that Bryce was talking about when they had seen each other for the first time but before he could deny it and insist that he had said it before then, Ohm suddenly grabbed his hand and urged him out of the room. "Listen, we should hurry up before Vanoss and Delirious get too far ahead of us, okay, Brycey?"

Bryce could only nod, knowing that he would have to bring up the name thing again at a later time. Right now, they had wasted enough time, after all. So, with the journal held securely in his hand, he followed after Ohm, hand in hand as Bryce felt his heart race at the familiarity of the nickname that escaped Ohm's lips.


	15. Memory 7 - Forgiven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for this chapter. But also, warning of gore in this one. Not really descriptive but there is a sound and mention of it.

_In the darkness of the basement, they could hear a giant being scrambling around in there with them. There was nothing more terrifying than being stuck in a room with a dangerous predator that you couldn't even see. And yet, the three of them began to make their moves._

_Ryan ran to the nearest wall and began to slide his hands down the wall, trying to find a door than he had spotted earlier. Once shaking hands found the doorknob, he tried turning it and twisting it, feeling his heart drop when he found that it was stuck. "Dammit-- Dammit, no!"_

_Across the room, he heard two pairs of footsteps moving and the heavy breathing of the monster suddenly hitch as it heard Ryan's voice. Ryan bit his tongue and quickly kept messing with the handle before finally just knocking his shoulder into the wooden door in an attempt to force it open._

_Nearby, he heard someone beat something metal against the wall along with Bryce grunting before the light of the flashlight flickered back to light. There was light once again, and the creature suddenly came into view. It looked over at Bryce, who stepped back and shined the light at it threatening. "Ryan, Jonathan, get the door open!"_

_Jonathan didn't waste a moment as he ran over to Ryan to help force the door open as Bryce shined the light into the eyes of the creature. The creature cried out and backed away from the light, desperately trying to get away. So it a was afraid of light then? Or it's eyes were sensitive? Bryce must have realized that, since he took a brave step forward with the flashlight, trying to hit it in the eyes with it again._

_"Shoo! Go away! No one likes you!" He cried out and if it weren't for how serious the situation was, Ryan would have chuckled at the blonde, but instead he continued pushing against the door._

_The creature cried out again, charging at Bryce in a blind rage to swipe his giant arm at the boy. Bryce ducked with a small scream, just barely missing getting hit. Turning, the young man jumped and slammed the flashlight against the monster's skull, only managing to get the attacker to stumble._

_It was enough time for Ryan and Jon to force the door open. They both fell to the floor behind the door, stunned by the fact that it was just a stone tunnel ahead but for now, it would have to do._

_"Bryce, the door is open! We gotta move, now!" Ryan called out, watching as Bryce ran ahead into the tunnel, with Jon just a few feet behind him._

_Ryan took a last look at the creature as it pathetically tried to climb back up to its feet. It was temporarily blinded and he made a mental note to make sure they kept that flashlight of theirs handy. But when Ryan reached over to close the door, a familiar voice suddenly called out to them, making everyone freeze in their tracks._

_**"Jonathan... why are you leaving me to die...?"** _

_...That was Evan's voice._

_Jonathan was the first to react, spinning on his heels to face the source of the voice. Ryan copied his movements, glancing around the dark room seeing no one but the monster as it struggled to it's feet. Jonathan let out a small and broken whimper and somewhere behind them, Bryce screamed for the to hurry up and close the door. The voice called out again._

**_"Jonathan... I thought you loved me..."_ **

_The words made Jon look physically ill and for a moment, Ryan thought he was about to run at the monster in tears. Finally, Ryan was reminded of Bryce telling them that the creature could mimic someone's voice and suddenly Ryan felt like choking. Before Jonathan could even utter a word or take the tiniest of steps forward, he slammd the door shut on the monster and locking it in place._

_There was something slamming against the door as Evan's voice spoke out, muffled by the wooden door. Jonathan couldn't move, so Ryan made his move and wrapped his arms around the other's waist, lifting the smaller boy up and hurrying down the dark hallway. Jonathan didn't put up any resistance, and yet his eyes wouldn't leave the door._

_The beating stopped as the monster presumably gave up and left, and at the end of the hall, Bryce waited as the two stumbled down the hall. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw they were both relatively safe and alive._

_"Are... Are you two okay?" He whispered, eyes darting between Ryan and Jon._

_Ryan finally released the boy in the blue jacket and watched as he wandered over to a nearby wall and leaned against it, quietly, staring down at his feet. The guilt grew in Ryan, making him feel like he had just snatched Jonathan away from Evan for the third time, even if that voice wasn't really Evan at all._

_He shook his head at Jon before offering a small smile at Bryce. Anything to give the younger boy any sort of comfort. "...We're alive, at least. Shook up but... What can you really expect, right?"_

_Bryce nodded, opening his mouth to say something else but something seemed to stop him. Instead, he looked over at Jonathan with a frown and Ryan did the same. Jon didn't seem to take notice of their stares and if he did, he didn't react at all. Finally, Ryan gestured for Bryce to follow him away from Jonathan, and the younger nodded. They didn't go far, just far enough to talk in hushed whispers about the state of their friend._

_"Bryce... Jonathan is... He's killing me..." Ryan started, earning a small raised eyebrow from the other. "He's.. different. Really different. He hasn't said much at all since Evan died and-- You know him, he can never shut up. Evan's death... it's just... really effected him."_

_"Of course it did... Gosh-- He loved Evan so much, Ryan..." Bryce reached forward, placing a hand on Ryan's arm. "You're different too, you know..."_

_Was he? He didn't notice. Ryan stared up at Bryce's face, eyes hard as he tried to find exactly what Bryce meant but with a sigh, he could only shrug. "...I think it's my fault, Bryce."_

_"What?"_

_"I... I left Evan alone to go and find medicine for him. After you found us and saved us from that thing, he collasped from the infection of the bite." Ryan began to explain, hands shoved into his pockets as he stared down at his feet. He felt tears well up in his eyes and Bryce squeezing his arm only made it worse. "I-- I found Jonathan and-- and the medicine but when we got back... it-- it-- "_

_A choked sob left Ryan's throat and suddenly Bryce pulled him over into a tight embrace, burying his face into the other's hair. Ryan immdiately clung to Bryce like life depended on it and began to cry into his shirt._

_"It's all my fault..."_

_"No, it's not..."_

_"You should have seen Jonathan's face..." Ryan whispered, pulling away to glance over his shoulder. "He looked so defeated..."_

_"But he doesn't blame you..." Bryce insisted, placing his hands on Ryan's shoulders. It did little to comfort him._

_"He should--"_

_"But he doesn't." Ryan felt Bryce's hands slip off of him and he watched as Bryce took a step towards the door that led out of the hallway. "Talk to him, Ryan. Make sure you know where you two stand. I'm gonna go look ahead but I won't be far. Yell if you need me."_

_Ryan didn't like that plan for a good plenty of reasons. It was too dangerous for Bryce to wander off alone, even if the guy seemed to be doing absolutely fine on his own regardless. That and Ryan wasn't sure if he was ready to face Jonathan just yet. Nor was he sure if Jonathan was ready to face him either. Ryan wanted everyone to stay together if possible, so he tried to reach for Bryce's hand to keep him there._

_"Ryan..." Bryce stopped and frowned, squeezing Ryan's hand in response. "I won't be far, I promise... Please talk to him?"_

_Ryan looked back at Jonathan and then back at Bryce, who squeezed his hand one final time before releasing it. There wasn't another word between the two. Just a silent agreement that Bryce would go on ahead while Ryan hung back to speak with Jonathan. Bryce brushed his hand against Ryan's hand once more before taking the flashlight with him and heading out the door, leaving Jonathan and Ryan alone in the hallway._

_Ryan took a deep breath and moved over to Jonathan, watching as he had once again gotten his phone out in an attempt to try and get ahold of Luke again, most likely. Ryan didn't say anything and Jon did the same and for a while, they two of them sat there in silence, listening to the clicking of buttons on Jon's cellphone. After a deafening silence, Jonathan finally spoke up._

_"...What was... that all about?"_

_Ryan bit his lip, chancing a look over towards Jonathan but the boy hadn't even looked up from his phone. Ryan wondered if he would ever look up from it. He took a while to answer but Jonathan seemed to be patient, at the very least. "...We were talking about Evan, and... you, I guess."_

_Jonathan tensed but said nothing, giving Ryan the chance to continue. "We're just worried about you... for good reason. You've been through a lot." He paused, taking a deep breath as images of Evan's torn body flashed into his mind. "... We've all been through a lot. You, most of all though."_

_He still didn't get a response but the air around them was tense as could be. Ryan couldn't tell if he was making things better or worse but it was beginning to make him panic. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them and rested his head on his knees. Jonathan stared at his phone for a little longer before placing it down on the floor next to him._

_"...I'm sorry, Jon..." Ryan mumbled softly, voice muffled by his jeans. "I shouldn't have left Evan alone for all that time. I should have brought him with me to find the medicine but I... I was scared of not being able to help him if that thing found us--"_

_Finally, Jon spoke. "What--"_

_"It's all my fucking fault--" Tears threatened to spill over and his voice wavered but now that it was all coming out, Ryan couldn't stop. "Evan wanted to find you more than anything and I couldn't even get you to him before he was fucking killed by that fucking thing! I was so fucking focused on finding the damn medicine that I should've thought to check on him more or realize that maybe a measly fucking door wouldn't stop that fucking thing from breaking in and killing him and I know you might blame me for it and I'll take all responsibility for it but--"_

_"Ryan, shut the fuck up!" Jonathan snapped out, silencing Ryan instantly. Ryan watched as Jon ran a shaking hand through his own messy hair and a brief memory came to mind of Evan fussing at the other to get a haircut soon. Of course, Jonathan never did. Why would he? "I... I don't fuckin' blame you for Evan. I never did-- I'm just... so fucking MAD. But not at you. Does that make sense? Probably not, I never fucking make sense..."_

_"Yes you do..." Ryan mumbled but Jonathan ignored him._

_"I always act like I'm delirious out of my fuckin' mind and you can see why it's starting to become a nickname or something lately." There's a bit of laughter but it had no feeling behind it. "I'm... I'm not mad at you, Ryan. I'm mad at my own damn self like any sane person would be... My damn boyfriend's dead and I couldn't do shit! He was always the one takin' care of me. Making sure I left the house with a jacket when it's cold, and making sure I had a bottle of water when it was hot outside. He always made sure I wore sunscreen at the beach and made sure I never stayed up too late playing video games--"_

_Jon gave a sharp intake of breath and let out a shuddering sigh as he struggled to keep it together. "When he got hurt... I thought I could finally take care of you guys for a change... I wasn't fucking thinking ahead so I ran off without him to try and save you when all he wanted was for us to stay together! And I had this whole thing thought out where I would find you guys and make sure Evan stayed safe and I would get you guys outta here safely but when it came down to it... he..."_

_Jonathan sniffled loudly and Ryan reached over to wipe at his wet face before reaching down to hold onto Jonathan's hand. He felt a squeeze back and suddenly the tension began to melt away. Jonathan didn't blame him and for some reason, that took away a huge chunk of the guilt. He still felt at fault, but so did Jonathan but at the very least, they knew that they weren't blaming each other. They knew that they were still cool with each other._

_So, they sat there together, trying to calm their breathing down and waiting for their faces to dry into a red, and blotchy mess while they waited for Bryce to return. Ryan was worried, of course, but Bryce was crafty and smart, and it seemed like he knew a little more about the creature than they did. He would be okay, Ryan liked to think._

_"Um..." Jonathan gained Ryan's attention and gestured towards the phone on the ground. "...Still haven't gotten in touch with Luke... Signal is completely gone. But you think that the messages will send whenever we get closer to an exit?"_

_Ryan reached into his pocket to pull out his own cellphone, pressing the button on the side and watched as it lit up. As he stared at the phone, he briefly wondered why he didn't think of using it as a flashlight before when they were stuck in the room with the demon. He'd have to remember that next time. "...Hopefully. Maybe they'll call the cops and we'll meet up with 'em on our way out."_

_"...Hope so. I...been telling him about what's happened. Told 'im about Evan. It just sorta helps me."_

_"...Same here, dude."_

_The silence fell between them again and Ryan felt as it got colder in the hallway. He shivered and sat up a little bit, swiping through the options of his phone to turn on the flashlight. The beam of light lit up the hallway and he shot it down towards the direction they had come from, seeing nothing worth mentioning. He frowned and climbed to his feet, offering a hand to Jonathan._

_"We shouldn't stick around in here for long. Let's go catch up with Bryce, okay?"_

_As Jon reached for his hand, too many things happened within the next few seconds. A large and close inhale was heard, before the wall next to Ryan suddenly burst into a million pieces. A giant blue hand reached out and roughly grabbed onto the hood of Ryan's favorite hoodie and began to pull as the face of the creature peeked out of the hole it made with glee. Ryan dropped his phone onto the ground with a scream and began to fight. And Jonathan jumped to his feet._

_"NO, RYAN--"_

_"WHAT THE FUCK--" The fabric of the hoodie yanked against Ryan's throat, making him choke as he was yanked back again, towards the giant, dark hole made by the predator that was reaching in to take him away. Still, with all of his strength, Ryan pulled back, trying to get away or trying to slip out of the hoodie that he wore. "LET GO OF ME-- LET GO-- LET GO!!"_

_Jonathan sprung into action and grabbed the phone that laid on the floor and shined the blinding beam of light into the creature's eyes. It made it falter at least but it was like it's grip on the hood got harder. Ryan was almost out of the hoodie when Jonathan took the chance to run over and deliver a swift punch through the hole and into the soulless black eye that stared at them through it._

_It was a terrible mistake._

_It dropped the hoodie and caused Ryan to stumble to the ground, halfway out of his hoodie and for a moment, they thought they were good to run. But a quick movement of a blue arm said otherwise as it grabbed onto Jon's arm with enough strength to break it in half. Jon screamed and struggled to pull out of it's grip but to no avail._  
_Ryan threw his sweatshirt aside and dove for Jon's other hand and tried to pull him back, listening to Jon's pleads._

_"Ryan-- Ryan, my arm-- my arm, he's pulling it too hard, oh my god-- Ryan, Ryan!!" Tears streamed down Jon's face and in the distance, Ryan could hear Bryce yelling for them. He pulled back harder, flinching when he heard Jon's arm pop, followed by a pained scream._

_The demon was intent on dragging Jon back through the hole in the wall with it and Ryan was horrified. Jon was halfway through the hole now and Ryan's grip was slipping. If he could just hold onto until Bryce came back, it would be fine, they could save him, they could save Jonathan, he would be fine, he--_

_Bryce threw the door open. Ryan's grip slipped and with a final scream, Jonathan was pulled through the hole._

_**"JONATHAN!"** Ryan cried out, diving for the hole only to be pulled back by a frantic Bryce. _

_"Ryan, Ryan-- What happened, what--?!"_

_They were cut off by Jonathan's ear piercing scream, and then suddenly there was a loud squelching sound along with a loud crack and then a snap. The screaming stopped and Ryan was sure his mind stopped along with it._

_He couldn't hear Bryce speaking anymore, but he knew that at some point after that, the younger man must have urged him to his feet and pulled him out of the room. Ryan had just enough sense to reach down and grab Jonathan's phone off of the ground before they left._

* * *

  
_Ryan woke up in another bedroom with nothing but the flashlight giving off light as it sat on the a coffee table in the middle of the room. He didn't remember falling asleep nor did he remember ever making it to this room. Sitting up, he squinted as he allowed his eyes to get used to the darkness while he struggled to remember what happened._

_Nearby, a familiar figure with blonde hair sat against the wall, knees to his chest and head in his hands._  
_Bryce._

_He must not have realized that Ryan had woken up yet. When had he fallen asleep anyway? He remembered the basement... the thing crashing through the wall in there, but they got away... then he was talking with Jonathan and..._

_The sudden memory of the gruesome death of his friend made Ryan sick to his stomach and suddenly, he doubled over and threw up onto the floor next to the bed. The sound startled Bryce into looking up and suddenly the blonde was on his feet and next to Ryan with a cloth in his hand. Ryan gratefully took it and wiped at his mouth._

_"It-- It's okay, I... I threw up too." Bryce mumbled, gesturing for Ryan to keep the cloth when he moved to hand it back over. "I don't think you realized..."_

_Ryan struggled to find his voice but nothing came out. Bryce noticed and continued talking. "I dragged you out of there and we made it down another hall and up a set of stairs before you collasped. Y--You uh... You didn't respond to a thing I said before then. You were too shook up."_

_But what about you, Ryan wanted to say but again, he couldn't bring himself to say a thing. Instead he reached into his pocket and felt for the phone he knew that he had grabbed before leaving. Clicking it on revealed the lockscreen, a selfie of Jonathan, Luke and Evan. From the looks of it, Luke must have stolen Jon's phone and taken the picture with his arm wrapped around Jon's neck in a playful headlock, and Evan sitting next to the with a playful smirk on his face._

_Ryan took note of Bryce holding back a sob next to him. He reached over and silently wrapped an arm around the other's waist and held him as he unlocked Jon's phone and opened the messages. Silently, he read all of the messages that were sent to Luke._

**_CARTOOOONZ BFF <3 [ERROR: Not Sent] we'RE AT THE SPOOKY HOUSE IM SO EXCITED AKDJDAS stay tuned bc imma scare the s h it out of the bae in here. imma send you a video of it bc its gonna be GREAT. >:D_ **

**_CARTOOOONZ <3 [ERROR: Not Sent] OK so no singal here. maybe i can find a signal on the top floor idk but you'll get these messages one day is2fg one day i swEAR ON MY LIFE!!!!! >:CCC_ **

**_CARTOOOONZ <3 [ERROR: Not Sent] Dud eosmething is here and evans hrut and it chased us and i dont know what to do i wish there was a fucking sigNAL SO YOU COULD CALL THE FUCKING COPS_ **

**_CARTOOOONZ <3 [ERROR: Not Sent] none of these fu ck ing messages are fuycking sending and i dont??? know what to do, i'm freaking out and i lost evan and everyone else what do i do i wish you were here but also not??? _ **

**_CARTOOOONZ <3 [ERROR: Not Sent] evans dead. i. dont feel good._ **

**_CARTOOOONZ <3 [ERROR: Not Sent] i miss him i miss you i dont wanna die_ **

_**CARTOOOONZ <3 [ERROR: Not Sent] i want evan i want you here please i cant take this anymore i feel so sick i dont know what to do how do i even explain this. theres a fucking monster or something and it killed him it killed evan and it uses his voice and i cant take this, i dont know what** **that thing is but THE FACT THAT ITS USING MY BOYUFRIENDS FUCKING VOICE MAKES ME WANNA KILL IT. its copying him its using him i fuc kin g hate it. i mis s you,.**_

_Ryan couldn't breathe as he dropped the phone aside in favor of facing Bryce, who had been reading over his shoulder. Bryce's face was soaken wet from tears and Ryan's face was not far behind him. Two of their friends were dead and their chances of escaping weren't looking so well, themselves. If only he had one more chance. One more time to make it right._

_One more time._

_"We... We gotta... gotta get out of here, Bryce... We gotta find a way out." Ryan's voice was panicked as he struggled to climb to his feet. Bryce made a noise in protest, unsure of whether that was a good idea but Ryan had to make Bryce move. He had to get Bryce and himself out of there. "We have to, Bryce. I-- I saw a map, and if I can figure out where we are then.. then I can find the exit and we can get out of here and get home and call the fucking cops on this place, or something--"_

_"Ryan, that thing is gonna kill us--"_

_"It won't."_

_Bryce jumped to his feet with a glare as he wiped his face. "How do you know?!"_

_"Because I won't let it! Not again, I REFUSE to let it get you like it did with Evan and Jonathan, but we have to fucking move. Now." Ryan grabbed for Bryce's hand, who stared at him with wide eyes._

_"Ryan, those-- They weren't your fault--"_

_"Bryce, we have to go, now." Ryan repeated, shooting a look at Bryce that screamed that he didn't want to discuss this now. Bryce's face twisted but he said no more. Instead, they both stepped over the disgusting pile of vomit left behind by Ryan and hurried out the door as silently as they could._

_Ryan tried not to think about how much he would miss the way Bryce would squeeze his hand in comfort, if something were to happen to him. He refused to think about it. Bryce was all he had left in here and dammit, he would protect him to the death, if he could. He had to. He had to._

_One more time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeere's Johnny. Is that too soon? Probably too soon. This chapter gave me major anxiety writing it, holy sheesh im so sorry.


	16. Video

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LOOOOONG!!!! I've been going through some STUFF(tm) and writing has been hard so sorry if this chapter sucks description wise ;;; I'm not entirely happy with the chapter and I cut some stuff out but I hope you guys enjoy it at least. Shit is Starting guys. Shit is starting - Crest <3

With every step they took as they followed Ohm, Bryce couldn't help but feel more and more suspicious of the other. Was it even appropriate to call it suspicion if he absolutely knew that Ohm was hiding something? He wasn't sure but the word would have to do for now. But ever since Bryce had caught onto his lies, he began to notice every little movement of Ohm's that just furthered his suspicions.  
  
The one that confused him the most were the fond looks that sometimes slipped onto his features whenever he glanced over the three of them, only for it to fall away whenever he noticed Bryce staring. Interesting.  
  
Vanoss and Delirious never seemed to notice the stray stares from Ohm though. The two men, in such a short time, somehow managed to form a strange and playful bond that Bryce suddenly felt jealous of but at the same time, it would be nice if they could start paying attention to their surroundings rather than trying to make the other laugh. Granted, it was sweet but the timing of it all couldn't have been worse.  
  
But hey, maybe Bryce was being a pessimist, which was something he never liked to be. As far as he could remember, anyway. It WAS a good thing that Vanoss and Delirious were trying to cheer each other up, after all. Delirious especially seemed like the type of guy that could very well snap under the pressure if he got too freaked out, so maybe Vanoss could help him keep the pieces together, and vice versa.  
  
"Delirious, Delirious--" Vanoss nudged at Delirious' side with his elbow, as if attempting to get his attention even though he had already gotten his attention since they left the room. Still, it didn't stop the shorter from being startled by the sudden jab to the ribs.  
  
"Huh? Wh-What? What now?"   
  
"What do you call a magical owl?" The grin on Vanoss' face had Bryce fearing the answer and Delirious already began to snicker.  
  
"What?"  
  
" _Hoo_ dini~" Vanoss flashed a smile and waved his hand as if twirling a wand to emphasis his terrible joke. Bryce groaned and Delirious began to giggle maniacly while Ohm simply huffed with a smile before shaking his head.   
  
"That was a good one, that was a good one." Delirious snickered. "That's your fourth bird joke, Vanoss. Are you secretly an... Are you secretly an owl.. person. Thing."  
  
"Hoo hoo, motherfucker. You found out my secret." Vanoss and Delirious began to laugh again, quickly earning a _'Shhh'_ from Ohm as a reminder as to where they were at. The laughter quickly died down to shushed giggles as they continued to make their way to the basement in question.   
  
As Vanoss and Delirious walked ahead of the other two, getting involved into their own conversation, Bryce figured it to be a good time to try and find out some other stuff from Ohm, so he slowed down his stride until he walked side by side with the bunny hooded man and glanced over at his shadowed face with a small smile.  
  
"So... Bunnies, huh?" He commented, only to be met by Ohm's confused stare. He nodded towards the hood and Ohm suddenly turned a faint shade of pink at the obviousness of the topic. It was kinda cute, Bryce had to admit.  
  
"Oh... Yeah, the hoodie. Yeah, it's uh... It's a little childish but my friend bought it for me for my birthday a year ago. They probably meant it as a joke but-- I dunno, it's pretty comfortable." He offered a shrug and then suddenly, Bryce reached over to grab onto the sleeve of the hoodie. It... WAS pretty soft, like petting an actual rabbit and suddenly Bryce felt jealous.  
  
"Wow, it IS soft..." His eyes widened a little at the realization before a wide smile appeared on his face. "Hey, can I try it on real fast? Please?"  
  
Ohm instinctively clung to the rim of his shirt and Bryce watched as his eyes darted away from Bryce's own in a panic. Frowning, Bryce put up his hands in surrender and in response, Ohm seemed to calm down just a little.  
  
"Sorry, sorry, I won't ask again--"  
  
"No, no-- it's just..." Once again, words seemed to be on the tip of Ohm's tongue but again, nothing came out. "...When we get out of here... then maybe... but right now, just-- not right now, okay?"  
  
"Oh... Okay." Bryce agreed and let it drop for now, and for a little bit, they walked in silence, listening to the muffled whispers ahead of them that belonged to Delirious and Vanoss. Every so often, the pair would steal glances at Ohm or Bryce and then they would hurry back to their whispering and Bryce felt a huge feeling of curiosity but he'd drop it, for now.  
  
Instead, he chose to try and pester more answers out of Ohm, knowing that he was taking a huge chance by asking the question that was currently on his mind. "...You said you came here with your friends, Ohm."  
  
Ohm hesitated midstep but just as quickly caught back into the rhythm of their walk, more tense than ever. "...Yeah."  
  
"What... happened to them, exactly? Where are they?" Bryce lowered his voice, eyeing the bunny man curiously as he spoke the sentence slowly and cautiously.   
  
Ohm didn't answer for a moment and for a split second, Bryce thought his question went ignored until he finally bit back with his own question. "What do you think happened to them, Bryce?"  
  
 _What happened to everyone who came into this house, most likely._ But before Bryce could open his mouth to answer, Ohm continued. "I came to the house with my three friends. The one who always seemed in charge of everything died early on. Found him in a bedroom with a hole in his chest. His boyfriend died a little while later. Don't know what happened to him but I imagine he was ripped apart most likely."   
  
Bryce suddenly didn't want to hear anymore, but he let Ohm continue. This was probably karma for him digging into Ohm's business like this.   
  
"The third-- we were close. Really close." The fondness in Ohm's voice was obvious and it only tore Bryce's heart up even more. "He survived the longest. He was crafty, smart and fast. He was a quick thinker and avoided that thing like it was nothing."  
  
There was a beat of silence and suddenly Bryce found his voice again. "...But it finally got him?"  
  
"...Surprisingly, no. He died of something else. Something that's not going to happen again so Bryce, can we please drop this?" He shot a dark glare at the blonde, causing the taller to shrink back in guilt. "You got your damn answer, now let's just hurry up."  
  
"Ohm--"  
  
"The basement's up ahead, c'mon." And with that, Ohm picked up his pace and pushed past Delirious and Vanoss, leaving Bryce behind at the end of the line feeling a heavy load of guilt in his chest.  
  


* * *

  
"So, I think Bryce might have a thing for Ohm." Delirious whispered into Vanoss' ear before glancing over his shoulder at their two companions.  
  
Delirious watched as Vanoss also took a not-so-subtle peek at the two exchanging words behind them and Delirious couldn't stop the smirk from slipping onto his face. Vanoss gave a little smile and looked back, laughing a little as Delirious' smirk grew. "You really think so. They just met, you know."   
  
"Yeah, but Bryce had been all _'Ohm this'_ and _'Ohm that'_ when we first met up with him and you said it yourself. You thought he would do something stupid if we sent him to search for Ohm." Vanoss grinned a little in response to that.   
  
"Yeah, I know. Remember that Ohm saved him before so maybe Bryce has that whole crush on his savior type of thing." He shrugged. "It can happen to anyone."  
  
Delirious raised an eyebrow. "Did it happen to you?"  
  
"Hell no." Vanoss snickered and Delirious noticed that he felt a little relieved at that.   
  
"He's not your type anyway." Delirious commented and Vanoss let out yet another chuckle.  
  
"And what do you know about my types? We just met a few hours ago, just so you remember."   
  
"I just have feelin'!" Delirious placed his hands on his hips with pride and listened as Vanoss giggled some more but didn't reply. Delirious took the chance to clarify, a slyful grin on his face. "Maybe you like blondes like Bryce?"  
  
"Yeah, no." Vanoss shook his head with a smile. "Turns out you don't know shit about my types."  
  
"Oh, yeah, well, maybe I'm your type~" Delirious began to laugh again at his own teasing, watching at Vanoss' cheeks blush faintly.   
  
"Oh, yeah, maybe I--"  
  
The two were cut off as Ohm pushed past the two of them to take the lead. The sudden change of pace made it obvious that something had happened, and with a glance towards Bryce, they saw the guilty look on his face. Something happened between them while Vanoss and him were joking around.  
  
"What was that all about?" Vanoss asked the blonde, gesturing towards Ohm.   
  
Bryce frowned as he watched Ohm walk ahead of them and then looked between Vanoss and Delirious helplessly. Finally, he put his thumbs into the pockets of his skinny jeans and glanced down at his feet in shame. "Nothing, just... brought up something he didn't wanna talk about. It's fine."  
  
Yeah, it didn't seem fine. "Didja apologize?" Delirious slowed his walk in favor walking alongside of Bryce. Vanoss copied his movements and did the same.   
  
"He kinda ran ahead before I could." Bryce spoke in a quiet voice as he stared at Ohm's back. "I'm just gonna leave it alone for now. I'm sure it'll be fine."  
  
"...Alright, if you say so."   
  


* * *

  
The basement was dark, cold, cramped and it sent chills down Bryce's spine. The room was filled with useless furniture and boxes that were likely filled with useless junk and if it weren't for Ohm trying to lead them through the basement as soon as possible, Bryce would have liked to sit down and look through the boxes to see if he could find anything useful.  
  
As it was, though, he had to just trust Ohm, something that was getting to be a little difficult lately, and assume that there was nothing of importance in the room.  
Delirious, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much about how quickly Ohm seemed to be trying to lead them through the room. He did stop every so often to peek into the boxes that they came across. Only the ones that were already open though, since he didn't want to waste too much time. He wasn't really know what he was expecting to find in the boxes though.  
  
In one box, he found nothing but dusty old clothes. Nothing too special, just old polos and t-shirts, along with a pair of jeans that seemed to be way too big for any of them to wear. Another box was nothing but old shoes, covered in roaches, which made sure that Delirious didn't decide to put his hand into the box. The third box he checked was empty except for a lone box cutter that sat on the bottom of it, which Delirious grabbed and just as quickly shoved into his pocket. That would hopefully come into use later.   
  
"Delirious, come on, we shouldn't stick around in here." Ohm suddenly called out to him, moving over to a door on the other side of the basement.   
  
"Why are we going through this creepy ass basement again?" Vanoss watched as Delirious chanced another peek into a box, shoving hands into his pockets before glancing around the room cautiously. "Like, really, I think the last place I wanna be is in a dark and cold basement when a monster is chasing us."  
  
Ohm opened the door, revealing a long, stone floor hallway with no doors aside from the one all the way on the other side of the hall. Looking up from the box, Delirious peeked into that hall and suddenly got a large feeling of dread as he stared down into it. "This hall leads to another portion of the house. This mansion is a lot bigger than it seems and there's a bunch of tunnels and shit that lead to other portions. This is the one we need to go through."  
  
"Well, at least it's one way." Bryce pointed out, shrugging as he moved towards the door. "Don't have to worry about that thing popping out of random doors while in the middle of the cramped hallway."  
  
Ohm visibly paled at that before shaking his head. "No, don't let your guard down. Please. Just stay in the middle of the hall, okay?"  
  
Vanoss, Delirious and Bryce frowned in worry as they looked amongst each other, wondering what exactly that meant but before they could ask, Ohm began to make his way down the hall. After a moment of hesitation, Vanoss walked after him, followed by Delirious and then Bryce brought up the end.  
  
The air in the hallway was tense as ever and Bryce was extremely on edge. Something about this room was very wrong and literally every little noise made him flinch. So when he accidentally kicked something in the dark hall, he nearly jumped out of his skin with a small squeak.

"ACK--"  
  
"Bryce??" Ohm stopped, glancing back at the blonde, who began to run his own hand through his hair in an attempt to both calm himself and brush off the embarrassment of the noise that left his mouth.  
  
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just uh. Tripped a little, I guess. My bad."   
  
Ohm giggled a bit while Vanoss huffed a laugh and with that, the group continued to make their way to the door while Bryce hung back a little to see what it was exactly that he had kicked. Squinting in the darkness, and leaning down, he slid his hand across the floor for a moment until his hand brushed against something small and cold.  
  
A cellphone?  
  
Bryce quickly picked it up and pressed the button on the side which turned the device on and he was more than a little shocked to see that it had a decent amount of battery left on it. But what surprised him most of all was the fact that the person on the picture of the locked screen was none other than Ohm himself.  
  


* * *

  
Delirious felt extremely nauseous and heavy the moment he walked into the hallway. His vision seemed to spin and the silence was deafening as a headache began to throb in his head. His chest ached and his waist stung in pain and he wondered what the fuck was up with this room that suddenly changed everything about his body. Vanoss, Ohm and Bryce seemed totally fine, if only on edge and yet Delirious felt as if he were going to fall over any second. Placing a hand over his stomach to try and calm himself down, he just considered it to be his nerves and kept going.   
  
His mind began to go cloudy and he had never regretted the decision to keep going more than he had at this very moment. He felt like he was floating, like he didn't exist and then suddenly, he stumbled and fell to his knees and quickly earned the attention of Vanoss.  
  
"Delirious?" He twisted around in a hurry, followed by Ohm. Delirious watched as the taller moved over to hold him up. "Holy shit, are you okay?  
  
 _ **'Jon? Holy shit, are you okay?'**_  
  
Delirious blinked hard at Vanoss, reaching over to grab onto his shirt. Vanoss responded by taking the hand and squeezing it tightly. Vanoss spoke something else but it went unheard by Delirious. He noticed Ohm and Bryce crowd around himself. What was wrong? An image popped into his head.  
  
 ** _"Evan, Evan, listen, I need you to stay here and apply pressure to that." He stood over a wounded Evan and glanced towards the door to the room. "I heard Ryan scream, I have to go find him and I'll bring him back and we can help you, hopefully."_**  
  
 ** _Evan stared at him like he was crazy. "Are you fucking... serious?! That thing could kill you!"_**  
  
 ** _He could only smile in response, leaning down to press a small kiss against the other's lips. Evan frowned and reached over to cling to him, to try and make him stay and he responded by taking the hand away, kissing the palm gently before getting up. "I'll be back, promise~"_**  
  
Delirious clung to Vanoss as if life depended on it, and suddenly his eyes began to water. Vanoss' voice was muffled to him and he squeezed his eyes tight and his breathing began to go out of control as he suffered vision after vision with the pain in his chest growing worse and worse.   
  
"Delirious?! Delirious-- hey--"  
  
 ** _He's left staring down at Evan's body. This wouldn't have happened if he had just stayed with him. He would still be alive if he hadn't of left Evan in favor of saving Ryan. He could have come back as soon as possible, maybe. Maybe he should have let Ryan find the medicine on his own and he could've come back to Evan and kept him safe._**  
  
 ** _Evan's hand was cold and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He kept staring at the deep hole in the other's chest and Jon wondered if that monster had ripped out his boyfriend's heart. The same heart that Jon would press his face against, listening to it thump in rhythm as the two of them fell asleep at night._**  
  
 ** _He didn't want to look into it to see if it were true. He wasn't sure if he could stomach it. So, instead he just sat there with Evan's hand in his, and stayed silent with Ryan as he wished that he was the one who died instead._**   
  
"Vanoss, we have to get Delirious out of this fucking hallway." Vanoss looked up at Ohm and Bryce, taking in the worried expressions on their faces. He stared at Ohm with confusion written clear on his face so the bunny man clarified. "Those flashbacks or whatever happened to you before is happening to Delirious now and we need to get him the fuck out of here before he has a freak out!"  
  
Vanoss looked back at Delirious, watching as he suddenly began to squirm in his hold and in return, he squeezed the other's hand comfortingly. "Help me carry him, Ohm--" Vanoss instructed, slipping a careful arm around Delirious' waist. Throwing his arm over his shoulder, the two stood up and Ohm moved over to help carry Delirious away.

**_The hands grabbing onto him were brutal and too strong to fight. Not like he could fight anyway, with his arm dislocated like it was. He struggled, he really tried, but it was no use. He cried and screamed out for help, hearing Bryce and Ryan scream out in return. They were trying to save him, but it was hopeless. There was no way._**  
  
 ** _He was lifted into the air and all he could do was stare down into the black, soulless eyes and the grin plastered on the creature's face. And even then, all he could think of was Evan. Maybe it was a mercy that his boyfriend died before he did. He didn't want Evan to deal with the heartbreak that Jon had been forced through. At the same time, he couldn't wait to punch the shit out of Evan in the afterlife for leaving him like he did._**  
  
 ** _He shook the thoughts from his mind and tried to fight one more time-- to have one more chance at survival, so he lifted his fist back once more and slammed it into the eye of the creature. It grunted and nearly dropped him but that wasn't enough. In a fit of anger, the creature grabbed only Jon's head with one hand and onto his waist with another and--_**  
  
The sob that left Delirious' throat was heartbreaking and suddenly tears fell down his cheeks. Both Ohm and Vanoss were speechless as they watched the other suddenly reach out with eyes shut tight, and suddenly he began to call out for someone.   
  
"EVAN-- Evan--!!" The name made Vanoss remember his own memory flashes and suddenly the name _'Evan'_ became more important than before. Who the fuck was Evan and why was his name in his own mind and then Delirious' head? Before he could even begin to ask what Delirious was asking for though, the young man's hand fell and he suddenly fell limp against Vanoss.   
  
Panic shot through him and before he could register what he was doing, he tore Delirious from Ohm's grasp and laid him onto the floor, pressing his ear against his chest to see if the boy was still alive. "Delirious, don't you fucking do this to me--" His voice wavered, refusing to believe that a fucking memory flash killed his friend.  
  
The thumping in Delirious' chest made Vanoss sigh in relief.  
  
"He fainted." Ohm stated, pointing out the obvious. "I guess whatever he was seeing was too overbearing for him--"  
  
"What was he seeing though?! What was so horrible that he fucking passes out when he remembers it?!" Vanoss' voice echoed throughout the hall as he gathered up Delirious in his arms.   
  
Ohm opened his mouth to speak but when he realized that all eyes were on him, he stopped himself. Sparing a glance at Bryce, he noticed the hard look of concentration written on his face and he suddenly felt ill. "I... I don't know, but this isn't the place to contemplate it--"  
  
Finally, Bryce spoke up. "Then we'll contemplate it somewhere else." He snapped at Ohm, earning a shocked and guilty look from the bunny man. "There's something wrong, Ohm. Vanoss knows it, I know it, and you know it. We can't just shrug it off!"  
  
"I'm not saying we shrug it off--I'm saying we get the fuck out of here before--"  
  
"Before what?" Vanoss shot a glare, and Ohm gave it right back.  
  
"Before the fucking demon shows up. That's what." He gestured towards the wall behind them, teeth gritted in annoyance. "See that wall right there? Yeah, he can break through that shit. Easily and with no fucking warning. So unless you want to get snatched and pulled through, then drop it for now and let's go put J--Delirious somewhere safe, dammit!"  
  
He almost slipped up again and Bryce caught it immediately. He squeezed the journal in his hands before reaching behind him to slip it into the back of his pants, having nowhere to put it for the time being. He remembered the phone he had found earlier and he found himself more anxious to look through it-- to snoop and try to find out everything he could about Ohm. But for now, he just silently shook his head and moved over to Vanoss and Delirious, helping the red jacketed man carry his friend to the end of the hallway. Neither said a word to Ohm and Bryce wondered if Vanoss was just as suspicious of Ohm as he was. Regardless, they said nothing and just walked silently as Ohm lead them out of the hallway.

* * *

 

  
Ohm lead them through another basement and up onto the first floor of the next building that seemed to be connected to this giant maze of a mansion. He didn't say much about it, except that he had used this room as a place to rest on many occasions and that something seemed to stop the creature from entering the room.   
  
Ohm wasn't sure what, and Bryce wasn't sure if he wanted to know.  
  
Still, they didn't drop their guard, even as Vanoss carefully laid the sleeping Delirious on a nearby bed before moving to sit next to him while he held his hand tightly. They all agreed that they would stay there for a while, just until Delirious woke up and as much as Bryce hated the idea of sitting still for so long, it would give him a few minutes to look over the journal he found and the phone that seemingly belonged to Ohm. Thankfully, the bunny hooded man didn't catch onto the fact that he currently had it in his possession.   
  
He watched as Ohm moved to a corner of the room and sat down, bringing his knees up to his chest. He watched as the boy closed his eyes for only a moment and suddenly Bryce began to notice just how tired the guy seemed. Of course, he had been here two months or so... and all of his friends were apparently dead--  
  
Ohm's eyes opened and he once again looked towards Bryce, and Bryce quickly snatched his gaze away and brought out the journal again, flipping the page open.  
  
The journal was sloppily written, with notes written in the margins and with messy sketches of the demon and the sort. According to the first page, it stated (with all obviousness) about the large mass and strength of the monster and how it could easily crush a human being with it's bare hands. That was a given. It's eyes were sensitive to light and quite possibly the only weak point to the creature and even though it can mimic a person's voice, it doesn't seem to have a voice of its own. It also warned against getting bitten by the creature, due to how rotten it's teeth were and how stained with blood they could be. If the bite wasn't fatal, the infection that followed it would be.   
  
Bryce shivered slightly and turned the page.  
  
The next page held different theories and legends regarding the beast and the house that it inhabited. One story mentioned a family where the owner of the house worshiped a demon of sorts and sacrificed his entire family in order to summon the beast, only to be devoured when it appeared. Other stories told of the man becoming the beast itself and killed his own family and has roamed the house ever since, eating whoever appeared. Some stories threw those stories out entirely and spoke of a cult that lived in the house and summoned the creature. Regardless, they all referenced the monster as a demon likely summoned from hell itself.  
  
Bryce turned the page, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his neck.   
  
The next page spoke about how to avoid the creature. It could see in the dark, so hiding in the darkness was no an option. However, hiding behind tall structures, behind walls or in closets could easily fool the monster into leaving, if it doesn't think to check behind them. It's slightly slower than the average human, so running is an option as well but a person can only run for so long. Hopefully, the creature will have given up by the time a person collasped with exhaustion.   
  
The page after that was empty, but Bryce noticed something written in dark letters on the back of the last page.   
  
_'If all else fails, go to the piano room.'_  
  
Well, that was creepy. Bryce closed the journal and placed it aside, thinking back to the piano room. He remembered the locked door and the piano with the key missing... and then the sheet music. He brought that with him, right? His hand moved towards his pocket, and fingers brushed against the phone that rested inside.  
  
Oh right, the phone.  
  
Bryce glanced back over at Ohm, noticing that he was resting his head back onto his knees, eyes closed tightly. By his relaxed posture, it was safe to assume that he was asleep for the time being and he definitely didn't want to wake him up. He glanced back towards Vanoss and Delirious, smiling gently at the scene in front of him. Vanoss rubbed Delirious' hand gently, whispering encouraging words at his sleeping form, urging him to wake up and get better. It was heartwarming at the least and he definitely didn't want to interrupt anyone with him clicking through a phone that didn't belong to him.

So, he climbed to his feet and moved towards the door, cursing himself lightly when he noticed Vanoss give him a questionable look.  
  
"The hell do you think you're going?" He frowned, already moving to leave the bed.   
  
Bryce quickly held up a hand and stopped him. "Hey, I'm just stepping outside for a sec. I need a minute alone to think and I think you should just sit there with Delirious. I won't be gone long, and I'll be right outside. Promise."   
  
"That thing could be right outside too, you know..."  
  
"I won't lead it in here, I promise." Bryce ran and hand over his heart, watching as Vanoss' expression turned even more uncertain. But, to Bryce's relief, the boy sat back down, picking up Delirious' hand again.   
  
"...Fine, don't take to long."  
  
"Of course not~ Be right back."  
  
Bryce quickly left, closing the door behind him with a small click and without hesitation, the phone was out of his pocket and being clicked on with shaking fingers. The picture of Ohm on the lockscreen made Bryce's heart speed up. He looked so carefree and less serious in the picture, hands on his cheeks and elbows propped on the table with a large cup of iced tea in front of him. He smiled warmly at the camera, or at the person who was taking the picture, more than likely.  
  
Thankfully, the phone wasn't password protected and Bryce bit back a chuckle. Ohm definitely didn't seem like the type of person who would just let his phone be unprotected like that but it seemed that Bryce was learning a lot of things about Ohm today. His phone background was a picture of a dog, sleeping soundly on a doggy bed with a toy sitting right next to his head and Bryce's chest ached. Ohm had a dog, and he's been stuck in here for two months. What happened to the poor thing? He briefly wondered if he had any pets of his own that were missing him right now?  
  
Pushing the depressing thought aside, Bryce immediately clicked on Ohm's gallery. The first few things that popped up were a few pictures of Ohm's dog, captioned as _"Buddy <3 :D "_ and Bryce giggled to himself at how cute it was. But another picture caught his eye and suddenly his heart jumped up into his throat as he clicked onto it.   
  
It was a picture of him. Of Bryce, with an arm wrapped around Ohm's neck while the other hand supposedly held onto the phone for them to take the selfie. They were both laughing, faces red and eyes shining happily and suddenly, nothing was making sense for Bryce anymore.   
  
Was it possible that...?  
  
He let out a shaky sigh and clicked onto the next picture, and it only made him panic worse. In the next picture, stood Vanoss and Delirious, both holding hands and giving the phone the one finger salute, along with an unfamiliar bearded man standing next to Delirious with an arm draped casually over his shoulder.   
  
Bryce shut his eyes and suddenly everything in his mind began to race. He knew Ohm before all of this. They all knew Ohm and Ohm just let it happen. That's why he knew Bryce's name, that's why they were here. Ohm was behind it all, _just like he thought, just like--_  
  
He pressed himself against the wall, swiping his finger through the gallery, finally finding a video among the pictures that Ohm had on his phone. He contemplated for a long minute, finger hovering over the play button before he finally gave in and pressed it.  
  


* * *

  
_Ryan looked up from his seat at the table, empty plates covered in icing pushed to the side. He smiled at the camera, awkwardly laughing at the person behind the camera. "Bryce, really, do you have to record this?"_   
  
_"Yup!" The voice chirped off camera, before hands are seen pushing a present across the table towards Ryan. "I REALLY wanna record your reaction to your present. You're gonna freaking love it. It took me forever to pick it out."_   
  
_Ryan paused, grinning up at the camera fondly before pulling the present towards his lap. "Aw, Brycey, you picked it out special for me? You shouldn't have~"_   
  
_"Oh, save it for when you open the present! Which you should be doing right now!"_   
  
_Ryan giggled. "Fine, fine." He opened the present carefully, making sure not to rip up the wrapping paper too badly and when he was met with a box underneath, he glanced up at Bryce who only responded by hopping in place, lightly. Placing the wrapping paper aside, he pulled the tape off of the side of the box and opened it, revealing a white hoodie with the ohm symbol on it. "Whoa--"_   
  
_Bryce cut off his excitement and waved his hand at him. "No, no, pick it up, look at the hood, Ryan, lookit the hood!"_   
  
_Trying to hide the excitement on his face with confusion, Ryan did as he was told and lifted the hoodie carefully, laughing loudly when two bunny ears unfolded from the hood of the sweatshirt. "Bunny ears, are you kidding me?!" He giggled gleefully, tugging at them._   
  
_"So, when I said I picked this out for you, I really meant that I had to get in contact with some peeps to actually make that for you!" Bryce laughed from behind the camera as Ryan whipped his head up at Bryce with a shocked expression._   
  
_"You had this commissioned for me?! Really?!"_   
  
_Bryce could only laugh again as Ryan ran his hand over the material, as if examining the present. "Only for you, buddy. Happy birthday!"_   
  
_"Bryce, I really don't know what to say..." Ryan smiled widely at the camera._   
  
_"Don't say anything and just put it on. I want you to show Jonathan and Luke when they get here!" Ryan blinked and looked back at Bryce with a frown._   
  
_"Wait, they're coming over?"_   
  
_"...Another surprise! Luke wants to take you out for your birthday dinner." Bryce laughed again, leaving Ryan a flustered mess. He mumbled a quick thank you, hurrying to put on the hoodie, and at the sight of the bunny ears, Bryce collasped into another fit of giggles._   
  
_"You look perfect, Ryan. It suits you amazingly."_

* * *

  
Bryce stared at the screen, mind going blank as he watched the exchange between himself Ohm-- No, between himself and Ryan. They were obviously so close and it tore at his own heart. What happened? What made him forget? Why did he, Delirious and Vanoss forget everything? Why were they here? Why didn't Ohm tell them?

His breathing picked up the pace and suddenly he felt like the walls were closing in on him. Nothing was making sense anymore, nothing that Ohm said before made sense. He said all of his friends he came here with were dead but--

"Bryce..." 

The voice startled him out of his thoughts and the phone fell to the floor, still playing the audio of the video. Bryce twisted around to see Ohm standing at the door to the room, eyes filled with concern and hands held up as if he were trying not to scare the other. Bryce, in return, began to back away from Ohm. The audio continued to play, catching both of their attentions.

_'How much did this even cost, Brycey?'_

_'Shhhh, don't worry about it. Just shove your face with your cake and let's just watch TV or something while we wait for Jon and Luke.'_

"Bryce..." Ohm started again, taking another step forward only to jump back whenever Bryce moved away from him. "Bryce, I can explain--"

"Can you, Ohm? Can you?!" Bryce spat out, shooting a dangerous glare at the other. "Because, I'm not going to lie-- You've been doing a horrible job of it so far!"

"Bryce--"

"We were FRIENDS, Ohm. Ryan. Whoever you are--" Bryce snatched the phone up and stomped back over to Ohm, shoving it into the other's chest. He watched as Ohm flailed a little to get a good hold onto the phone, so Bryce continued his rant. "We can't remember a thing and you don't even tell us why or who we are!? We're scared, Ohm, and you can't even tell us who we are. Can't even tell us that we KNEW you! We acted like friends in that video!"

"We are--!"

"Are we, Ohm?!" Ohm shrank back and Bryce hesitated but the anger and betrayal took over immediately after. "Because I'm sure friends don't let their friends continue to have amnesia in the middle of a mansion where they could be KILLED." 

"I know-- I know it was a shitty idea--" Ohm quickly stopped the video and shoved the phone into his pocket. "I can explain, I really can, Bryce-- Please, please calm down and let me explain--" 

Bryce almost didn't want to listen but the fact that Ohm was already on the verge of tears made something in Bryce's chest click and suddenly, he was quiet, arms crossed and eyebrows raised as he waited for Ohm's answer. In response, Ohm reached over and cautiously grabbed onto Bryce's hand, pulling him over to the wall to sit down. 

"I... It's a long story..." Ohm started, and Bryce listened curiously, a glare planted on his face. 

"It started with a bet between all of the guys..."


	17. Memory 8 - The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LATE CHAPTER bc I've been busy, writing other stuff, doing DND stuff AND getting over a sickness! But here's the next chapter and boy howdy don't hate me for it. - Crest <3

_"Ryan, you really don't have to sleep on the floor, you know." Bryce peeked over the edge of the couch at the brown haired boy that layed curled on a soft and fuzzy blanket on the floor. "I really don't care if you sleep in your bed."_

_Ryan looked over his shoulder, up at Bryce with a smile before waving him off, earning a frown from the blonde. "Brycey, it's fiiine. Really. What sort of host would I be if I slept in my soft old bed while I left you to sleep on the couch?"_

_"Soft old bed, huh? I think I recall you actually complaining about the bed to Luke a couple of weeks ago." Bryce watched as Ryan made a face of disgust and he couldn't stop the giggles from bubbling up in his throat._

_"Oh, shuddup and just go with it." Ryan rolled back over, throwing his arm over his eyes to try and ignore the way that Bryce stared at him with his pleading eyes._

_They were supposed to head out for that haunted mansion tomorrow and Ryan and Bryce both thought that it would be a good idea for Bryce just to spend the night over at Ryan's place so they could just share the car ride over to the house. Evan, Jonathan and Brian were supposed to come over as well, but Brian had to cancel due to family matters and Evan and Jonathan decided to just stay at the latter's house that night._

_Honestly, Ryan was glad for that. He loved Evan and Jonathan to death, but sometimes the PDA got to be too much. Same for Jonathan and Luke and it left him oddly jealous. Not that he was in a hurry to jump into a relationship himself but, he had to admit that the thought was pretty tempting at times._

_He peeked out from behind his arm and nearly cursed at the fact that the familiar blue eyes from before were still staring him down from the couch. He groaned, quickly flipping the other off, smiling as he earned a laugh from Bryce. "That wasn't very nice, Ryan."_

_"Nah, it was really nice. I'm such a nice guy."_

_"I don't believe you." Bryce smirked, watching as Ryan propped himself up with his elbows._

_"Well, I could have taken the couch and made you sleep on the floor." He gestured towards the floor and then sat back and watched as Bryce took the blanket he was curled up under and wrapped it around himself. And then, with a quick moment, Bryce rolled off of the couch and onto the floor, or more specifically, onto Ryan himself._

_"OOF-- Bryce--!" It knocked the air out of Ryan and Bryce couldn't stop giggling._

_"I dunno, this is pretty comfortable for me." He peeked up at Ryan with wide innocent eyes and Ryan let out a huff of annoyance._

_"Your elbow is digging into my ribs." He squirmed underneath Bryce, moving his hands to grab onto the taller and situate their positions so they could at least be more comfortable while Bryce apparently used Ohm as a bed._

_Bryce shifted on top of Ryan, folding arms over his chest as he stared up at the other's face with a cheeky grin, and Ryan found it quite contagious. "Is that better now?"_

_"Absolutely. But you know, I'm not a bed, Bryce."_

_"Well, you wouldn't go to your bed and you wouldn't listen to me, so I decided that we could both sleep on the floor. Sounds fair to me." Ryan raised an eyebrow at Bryce's idea and while he hated the fact that his guest was sleeping on the floor, the other did have a point about the fairness part. Maybe it didn't matter as much if they were both on the floor._

_"Fine, you win."_

_Bryce smirked in victory before beginning to roll off of the older man, but Ryan stopped him by wrapping both arms around the other's waist. Bryce froze, blinking down at him questionably and Ryan blinked back, just as confused. ...Yeah, he had no idea why he did that. Time to play it off as cool as possible._

_"What? You came down here to sleep on the floor with me and you don't wanna cuddle with me anymore once you get your way?" Ryan was proud at how smooth he managed to get his voice to sound and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep that up._

_Bryce stayed silent, cheeks turning a faint color of red before he let out an awkward cough that made Ryan feel a little bit guilty for being That Guy. You know, the one who always had to be weird by saying 'What? I don't get a hug?' The thought made him cringe and he came to the decision to loosen his grip on Bryce, watching as he rolled off of him in a hurry._

_"Hah... I was just kidding..." Ryan quickly made up the excuse, voice cracking slightly. Why was it so hot all of a sudden?_

_"Psch-- Yeah, yeah, I know." Bryce quickly answered, though he didn't look back at Ryan. "You always wanna cuddle."_

_"Heh... What can I say? I'm a cuddle maniac and you're my favorite to cuddle, Brycey-poo." Ryan forced out another joke, followed by another awkward laugh and then a cough._

_Before Bryce could react, he rolled over to face away from Bryce, burying his face into his pillow. "Uh, anyway, g'night Bryce."_

_"G'night, Ryan." Bryce mumbled from behind Ryan and after a moment, he heard the other scoff and whisper in amusement, "Cuddle maniac... Please..."_

_Ryan was sure that it was mere coincidence that he woke up to Bryce curled up next to him, clinging to him like his life depended on it and he couldn't stop himself from laying there for just a little longer and just enjoyed the moment, carefully turning over to wrap his arm over the other's sleeping form._

_He just had to make sure to get up before Bryce did._

* * *

  
_Bryce was seemingly an expert on avoiding the creature, as if he had done it a dozen times before. Ryan began to assume that perhaps he had done it many times before, when they were all still separated from one another. He always knew when the creature was close, and always took a stand and told Ryan to hide whenever he knew it was about to show up and wander past them._

_Bryce never really took unnecessary risks, and Ryan was more than thankful for that. Since he and Ryan were the only two left, he never tried to play Hero and try to lead it away whenever it got close. Instead, whenever it appeared, Bryce made sure to hide along with Ryan, having a flashlight ready to shine at the creature's eyes if it ever spotted them. More than half of the time, it never did. The few times it did spot them, they managed to get lucky and lose it quite quickly._

_Ryan still had the map from earlier clear in his mind and he was certain that they were getting close to an exit. Sure, the few times that they were being pursued by their hunter managed to push them back a few times but they were close, he was sure of it. Bryce seemed to be aware of it too, and it seemed to be getting to the poor boy._

_Ever since Jonathan had died, they both didn't say much to each other, aside from anything that had to do with leaving the house. But now that they were close, the reality of what was happening was settling in, and fast too. They were a lot more jumpy than usual, and way more aware of their surroundings. They were so close so they couldn't afford to mess up now._

_And whenever Bryce got nervous like that, he began to talk, saying anything and everything that would take his mind off of the situation, even for a moment._

_"This part of the house really needs to be renovated." He mumbled, eyeing the broken floorboards carefully, and Ryan was inclined to agree._

_They had wandered into yet another building and this one was the worst yet. The walls were breaking and weak and the floors were breaking apart. There was an upper story and a basement, or so it seemed, but Ryan and Bryce both agreed to stay away from the second floor, since the floor seemed too weak to be walked on. As for their current floor, they were just trying their best to be careful so the floor wouldn't fall through._

_"Reminds me of my great aunt's house. It kept falling apart-- not as bad as this but I remember the floor was always breaking somewhere and she kept having to call someone to fix it. Same with the electricity, wires and the water pipes. They were really old and stuff... She just needed a new house in general but she kept refusing to move."_

_Ryan listened to him, never saying a word as he lead Bryce down another hallway, carefully. The hall was dark, making it harder to see what part of the floor to avoid but they were managing. He reached back and grabbed onto Bryce's hand, who squeezed it in response._

_"One of her cats managed to get stuck in the wall once. It's funny looking back at it, but I was like... Eight, I think. And I started bawling because I thought Tuna was gonna die." He paused and let out a nervous chuckle. "Tuna was such a silly name for a cat, huh?"_

_"She named a cat after something it eats?" Ryan gave a little glance back, eyebrow raising a bit._

_"Not the worst name in the world, but you know." Bryce squeezed his hand again, watching as Ryan looked back at the ground ahead of them. "I miss my cats. I can't wait to get home to them..."_

_Ryan's heart ached a bit as he thought of Buddy. He had left the poor old boy over at Brock's house while he was gone. He was sure that Brock would take good care of the old guy, especially if something were to happen to him--_

_"Ryan, stop--"_

_Ryan immediately froze, looking back at Bryce. Did he see the creature?_

_"You're thinking bad things again." What? "Your hand tensed up-- it-- you do that whenever you start thinking of the worst." Bryce tugged at his hand to prove his point and Ryan tried to relax his grip, turning to face Bryce._

_"Sorry, I just thought of Buddy. And then Brock and then..."_

_"...Yeah, I get it." Bryce sighed sadly, and Ryan realized that maybe the other was beginning to feel guilty for bringing up their pets so he quickly tried to defuse the seriousness by reaching over to flick the other on the forehead. The blonde flinched, blinking up at Ryan who gave a small and weak smile._

_"Let's not think about it right now. Let's just... get out of here, okay? Once we get out of here, we can talk about it all we want... I'm here for you, Brycey and I know you're here for me too, right?" Because, God knew, they were definitely going to have to be there for one another to deal with whatever emotional trauma they had to deal with once they got out of there._

_"...Yeah, yeah. Of course. Of course."_

_Ryan tugged on Bryce's hand to continue their path through the building, and they walked off, hand in hand as Bryce began to ramble again in an effort to distract the both of them._

* * *

  
_"...That's the door."_

_Ryan and Bryce stared across the room at a door that sat wide open, leading to what seemed to be the backyard of the mansion. The door swung slightly in the wind and fresh air managed to his both of their faces, causing both of them to shiver at just how cold it was tonight. They were there, **they were there.**_

_...The only problem was--_

_"The entire floor around it is collasped--" Bryce pointed out, taking a peek down into the giant black hole that likely lead into the basement below. The whole building was falling apart, and of course the way they needed to go was collasped. "Why does it have to be collapsed?! Like-- are you freaking kidding me?!"_

_Ryan stared at the door for a moment, studying the space around the door carefully, judging the distance and how steep the fall would be... but he finally took a deep breath and let go of Bryce's hand. "I'm gonna jump it. There's a piece of floor right there--" He pointed it out, glancing at Bryce with determination. "I can get a running start back here, jump and land there at the door and then you do the same. I'll catch you when you jump."_

_"Are you sure about that?" Bryce's voice wavered, and suddenly he was looking back down into the hole. "It's pretty dark down there-- I can't see..."_

_"Bryce, I promise, I'll catch you." Ryan smiled with confidence, and maybe it was the fact that they had found the exit that filled him to the brim with daring and confidence but he couldn't stop himself from leaning up to press a small peck to the blonde's cheek. Backing up with red cheeks, he admired at the way Bryce gaped at his actions. "There, that was your confidence boost. Now follow my lead."_

_Before Bryce could even speak a word of what Ryan just did, the man took a few steps back and suddenly, he sprinted towards the hole, leaping off of the very end and towards the door that led to their freedom. And he managed to land successfully. He grabbed onto the edge of the door and pulled himself up and everything just seemed so good to be true. They were escaping-- They were gonna get out. They were safe--_

_He turned to face Bryce with a wide smile, who stared back with amazement. "You actually made it!"_

_"I told you I'd make it!" Ryan giggled, holding out a hand out towards Bryce. "Your turn, c'mon, just get a headstart and run for it. I've got you, Brycey-poo." He noticed the hesitation from the blonde, and tried to give the best comforting smile he could muster. "C'mon, let's go home, Bryce. Let's get the fuck out of here."_

_That seemed to be the push that Bryce needed. The hesitation washed away with confidence, and Ryan watched as Bryce took a few steps back like he had before. Ryan took a step forward, holding both hands out to grab for Bryce when he jumped and he watched as Bryce took off in a sprint, ready to leap._

_He didn't get that far._

_Right at the edge of the floor, right as the other got ready to leap, the floor under his feet gave in and suddenly Ryan's mind stopped working. All he could process was the sound of cracking wood and a scream and the spot where Bryce stood moments ago was now empty. Bryce's scream was cut off immediately by a loud thump below and panic shot through Ryan's body._

_"SHIT-- BRYCE?! BRYCE!" He dropped to his knees and leaned over the hole, straining to see anything down below that indicated that his friend was still alive. He heard nothing and suddenly he couldn't breathe again. "BRYCE, ARE YOU THERE?! BRYCE--"_

_He glanced behind him at the door that led to his freedom and it wasn't a beacon of light any longer. It swung open again in the wind and he felt as if it were mocking him-- Daring him to leave without Bryce and Ryan wanted nothing more than to swing out his fist and punch it but for now, he had to get to Bryce, fast._

_The hole was now too big for Ryan to jump across, so instead, he grabbed onto the floor below him and began to climb down into the hole. In the darkness, he hung off the edge, feeling his feet dangle below him. He couldn't drop down without knowing how big of a drop it was, so he began to grab at another piece of wood that hung nearby. He began to maneuver his way down. "Bryce, I'm coming, I'm coming, hold on--"_

_Tears were already slipping down his face as he made it to the bottom, fearing to find the worst once he got down there. It was pitch black and looking around, he noticed a light flickering a little ways from where he was standing. The flashlight that Bryce carried around, no doubt. Of course, it fell with him. But, he quickly snatched it up and beat against the cracked lens, watching as the flashlight flickered back to life. Just in time to hear a pained groan._

_"Bryce?!" He whipped the flashlight around, searching the floor until he found the face of his friend laying right by his feet. Dropping to his knees, he dropped the flashlight to his side and grabbed onto Bryce's face, watching as his eyes fluttered open._

_"...Ryan?" He mumbled, and relief washed over Ryan as he ran a gentle finger across a small gash that managed to find its way onto Bryce's cheek. "...Sorry-- I was supposed to jump--"_

_"Hey, shh, sh, it's okay." Ryan whispered, pressing his forehead against the other's with a smile. "I'm sorry for pushing you to jump, I didn't think of the floor. Shit, I'm just glad you're alive..."_

_"Sorry for scaring you..." Bryce apologized and Ryan couldn't help but laugh as he reached through the darkness to find his hand._

_"You're fine, really. Are you okay? Nothing hurts?" Ryan stared hard at Bryce's face, watching as he winced but otherwise, he reacted fine._

_"Head hurts and I'm... kinda cold. Back sorta hurts..." Bryce mentioned and Ryan smiled when he moved his hand across the floor to grab onto Bryce's hand successfully._   
_The smile just as quickly fell when he registered just how wet and sticky his hand was._

_Ryan quickly pulled his hand away from Bryce's and grabbed for the flashlight, shining it away from Bryce's face in favor of looking over his body, and what he saw was more horrible than he imagined._

_A piece of the wood that had once belong to the floor above them, had been forcibly stabbed through Bryce's stomach, more than likely when the latter had fallen from such a great height and the shock of the fall made it to where the other wasn't aware of the injury just yet. Blood leaked heavily from the wound, soaking Bryce's favorite purple shirt, his skinny jeans and now, Ryan's own clothes as he cried out in a panic and tried to scoop up Bryce in his arms._

_The younger cried out in pain from being moved with the sharp object sticking out of his gut and once he realized what had happened to him, he lost control of his breathing. "Ryan-- Ryan?"_

_"Oh my god... Bryce--" The tears were falling again and he was at a loss at what to do. "Shit-- Fuck-- FUCK-- Bryce, I am SO sorry--"_

_Bryce stared up at Ryan with wide eyes, processing what was happening and suddenly his own eyes began to well up. "Ryan-- Am I gonna die...?"_

_Ryan wasn't sure what to say to that. He wanted to be supportive, say that Bryce was going to be fine. That he was gonna survive this and that he was going to go home to his cats and cuddle them for the next month. He was supposed to survive-- they were both supposed to survive. They were supposed to leave together and get over what had happened to their friends together. They were supposed to survive, not--_

_Bryce didn't get an answer from Ryan, but his silence was an answer enough, as the younger fell silent and stared up at the hole above them. "Oh... Ryan-- I don't wanna die..."_

_"Bryce--" Ryan grabbed the other's face in his hand again, nearly choking on a sob as he accidentally smeared his own friend's blood against those cheekbones that he always secretly admired on the other. "Bryce, no, listen-- It's-- It's gonna be okay, maybe we can stop the bleeding-- maybe it's not that bad..."_

_The look on Bryce's face screamed doubt, and they both knew that there was no kidding around with this one. There was no miracle hiding here, just a tragedy as Ryan was forced to sit here in the dark until his friend-- his CRUSH-- slipped away from him. Bryce let out a pained laugh._

_"You-- you gotta get out-- You gotta leave and get home... Please don't stay here with me--" Ryan watched as a bead of blood slipped from the corner of Bryce's mouth and he quickly shook his head at the thought. "Ry--"_

_"You want me to just leave you here?! Are you fucking insane--"_

_"I don't want you to see me--"_

_He didn't want Ryan to see him slip away, and Ryan was sure that he wouldn't be able to handle it himself. But he refused to move. This was his fault, after all, and dammit, he was going to sit here with Bryce until the very end. He wasn't leaving, no matter how badly Bryce begged. So, to silence his request, he quickly dived down and pressed his lips against Bryce's, ignoring the copper taste he received in his mouth._

_The kiss was short and lacked energy from Bryce and it was nothing like Ryan dreamed it to be. Nothing about this situation was like he dreamed, and now they were both sitting there with red mouths and tear stained faces as Bryce stared at Ryan with such sad eyes._

_"Ryan..." Ryan reached over to wipe at his face as Bryce's voice broke. "Ryan, you stupid jerk-- why did you--" Ryan almost felt guilty about the kiss until Bryce gave out a small and weak chuckle. "I was...gonna do that when we got out of here..."_

_There was silence as Ryan processed what that meant. Bryce was going to kiss him when they got out? Really? If it were in any other situation, Ryan imagined what the reaction would be to such a subtle confession. Would Bryce laugh awkwardly like he normally did when Ryan flirted with him playfully? Would he avoid any eye contact that came his way? Would Ryan be brave to kiss him again?_

_The what ifs left Ryan breathless with the overwhelming despair of the fact that those imaginations no longer had the chance to be a reality. He stared down at Bryce's paling face, watching his eyes weakly glance around the room as he waited for Ryan to say something-- anything. Instead, Ryan leaned back down and pressed his forehead against Bryce's one more time and just sat there, holding him close._

_"This wasn't... how it was supposed to go, Bryce..." Ryan told him, and Bryce hummed lightly as if to ask what he meant. Ryan closed his eyes and tried to ignore the smell of Bryce's blood that filled the air. "I wanted to tell you for so fucking long. Everyday, I said 'I'm gonna tell him' and then I'd push it off, thinking I was being stupid."_

_"Ryan..."_

_"And now, the one time I decide to tell you, and it's when I'm losing you--" He felt his own tears fall from his cheeks and onto Bryce's own face. "I wanna go back-- I wanna start over, I just wanna try this again. I want to do this again and again until I can do it! Until I can get you all out of here--" His body shook and his chest ached. His eyes stung and his mouth went dry. "I want Evan and Jonathan to get out of here and go home to Luke. I want you to go home to your cats-- I want to go see Buddy-- I want us out of here so I can actually properly ask you on a fucking date--"_

_Bryce stayed silent and listened as Ryan let out a choked sob. "It's all my fault-- It's jUST NOT FAIR, BRYCE!" His voice, his whimpers and sniffles echoed throughout the dark basement that they were in and it stayed that way for the longest time before Bryce weakly reached up to place a cold hand against Ryan's cheek._

_"...It said... go to the piano room... If something happened, go to the piano room." He whispered and Ryan squinted at him through the darkness._

_"...Piano room? What? W--Who said that? What's there?" Ryan questioned, squeezing Bryce's hand, watching as the younger suddenly became unfocused before him. Dread began to set into Ryan's heart._

_Bryce opened his mouth to speak, but then his focus seemed to fail. He weakly shook his head, dropping what he said before, smiling lightly at Ryan. "...Y' really... wanted to take me on a date...? You really liked me, Ryan...?" His voice was nothing but a weak and dying out whisper and his hand nearly fell, but Ryan quickly grabbed for it and held it against his own cheek like it was his lifeline._

_"More than anything, Bryce... More than anything."_

_Bryce didn't hesitate before letting out a giggle and Ryan couldn't help but lean down and press a small peck on Bryce's lips again. He closed his eyes and with one last breath, he whispered against Ryan's lips._

_"...Me... too."_

_The hand pressed against Ryan's cheek went limp and Bryce no longer gave labored breaths. He laid still in a puddle of his own blood, a gentle smile on his lips and Ryan bit his lip so hard that he threatened to break skin. He threw the flashlight aside, watching as it flickered and in the darkness and the silence, he collasped next to Bryce and shut his eyes tightly, knowing the danger he was putting himself in._

_But for now, he wanted to rest. Despite being at fault for everything, he felt as if he deserved that much. Because after everything, he was alone in the end._

* * *

  
_When he left the darkness of the basement, he made sure to take Bryce's body with him. The thought of leaving it behind in the dark with nothing but rubble made him sick to his stomach and while it was difficult to pull him off of the sharp piece of wood that had claimed his life, he managed to get the blonde out of there with ease._

_With the blonde in his arms, he made it back to the first floor, squinting heavily as the light burned his wet and sensitive eyes. He faltered, unsure of where to go before letting his cloudy thoughts think back to Bryce's last few words. He mentioned a piano room and he couldn't help but feel curious at that. What did it mean? What was he talking about?_   
_Ryan's feet began to carry him down the hall and he still wasn't sure of where he was going. The silence around him was getting too much to bare, and it was driving him crazy. Just a bit over an hour ago, he walked down this same hallway with Bryce's hand in his own, listening to his friend ramble about his cats or his great aunt's house and how it was always breaking down._

_And now he held that very friend in his arms, cold and still with the very smile he had on his pale features. Blood soaked both of their clothes and hands, and the red and sticky substance was sticking into Bryce's hair that Ryan admired on so many sunny days, always smiling at his shiny the sun made it seem. Now everything about the man that Ryan crushed on for so long seemed so cold and dull and he hated it._

_He hated it._

_He found himself in a bedroom, one of many that they had checked before with Bryce. It was dark, messy and broken down, with the furniture in such disarray, it seemed as if someone had come in here for the sole purpose of moving all of the furniture out of place. He remembered Bryce wrinkling his nose as how bad the design was, even without the furniture being misplaced._

_If it weren't for the heavy reminder of his dead friend in his arms, he would have chuckled at the memory. For the moment, though, he just moved through the room over towards a nearby bed and placed Bryce down on it gently. He slid his arms out from beneath him, fingers brushing against something near Bryce's backside, and suddenly his curiosity got the better of him._

_"What's... this?" He tugged at the object, fearing for a second that it would be a piece of wood that had managed to jam into the other's body, but instead, it was a book. A note book to be exact, with it's cover and a few of the first pages drenched in Bryce's blood._

_With a deep breath, he flipped the damp pages open, finding the first few pages too drenched in red to be legible. He saw a few words here and there and he could only assume they were about the creature that hunted them. Maybe that's why Bryce was able to avoid the creature like he did. This thing seemed like a manual to this place, or something._

_Flipping through page after page, he stopped when he read an all too familiar sentence._

**_'When all else fails, go to the piano room.'_ **

_Bryce told him to do that as well. But what was in the piano room? What failure did this journal mean? He considered it, staring down at the page before looking back at Bryce's lifeless face. He thought back to Jonathan's pained screams and the silence that followed it. He remembered Evan lying on the ground with his chest torn open, covered in his own blood._

_Everything had failed and he had no desire to leave without Bryce, Jon and Evan. He wasn't in a hurry to escape anymore so with no sense of self-preservation left in his tired body, he stood up with the bloodstained journal in his hands._

_He needed to find this piano room._

* * *

  
_He ended up doing a lot of backtracking and surprisingly enough, the creature hadn't shown it's ugly face in the few hours that Ryan spent retracing his steps all the way back to the very first main building that everything started with. There was something extremely somber about the air of the main floors now, and Ryan briefly thought back to Evan's body, which they had left in a room on the second floor. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to go to that particular room._

_Deciding to avoid it like the plague, he began his search throughout the main three floors._

_It wasn't until two hours later of careful searching that he found some sort of secret hole in the floor of a bedroom, on the third floor. The light peeking out from under the bed screamed out the obviousness of it all. Pushing the bed aside, weakly, he found himself staring down into a white room with nothing but a piano standing in the middle._

_"So that's the piano room... But why am I here?" He asked himself, wondering why he was taking such a risk to find this room when he wasn't even sure of what he would find here that would help._

_Maybe it was just intuition. That's what he told himself as he climbed down into the hole and jumped down onto the floor below it. The impact of the landing left a soreness in his legs that he ignored for the time being in favor of looking around._

_Two doors sat in the room, one which lead to the hallway. The other was cracked open, leading to nothing but darkness and any other person would see that as a warning to run away but something was screaming at Ryan to go into the room. He took a few steps back away from it until he heard a loud rattling behind him._

_The creature found him._

_"...No where else to go but forward." He mumbled, biting his lip before running headfirst into the ominous door. Slamming the door behind him, he continued to run ahead, not thinking much of caution anymore. He believed it was far too late to worry about his own safety now._

_He ran in darkness for a while, listening to the faint noise of footsteps following behind him and then he managed to run smack into another door. In the pitch darkness, he stumbled trying to find the doorknob, feeling panic run through his body as a familiar breathing got closer. The door opened easily right as Ryan felt breathing down his neck and he ran in as quick as he could, but a sudden sharp and burning pain made him scream out._

_The monster managed to bite him on his shoulder._

_"FUCK--" He screamed out, swinging his fist around swiftly, punching not one, but both of the monster's eyes. Knocking the door back open behind him, a dim light shone through, revealing the monster just enough for Ryan to crawl back and away from his pursuer who had cried out and stumbled away when it's eyes were harmed. With that, Ryan slammed the door behind him, locking it in place._

_His brain screamed at him, telling him that locking doors didn't do shit. His instincts told his brain to shut the fuck up._

_Hot liquid began to seep down his arm and the pain slowly inched it's way throughout Ryan's body. God, how close did that thing get to his neck? Or worse, his heart? He wasn't too entirely sure, but he knew he didn't have time to figure it out. So, gripping his wounded arm tightly, he stumbled into the room he had locked himself in, looking around the dark room that only had a torch in the corner, dimly lighting up the small room._

_The room seemed empty, except for a lone altar standing at the end of the room with an open book sitting on top of it. He hobbled over to it, feeling an ice cold feeling enter his body upon approaching the book. As he picked up the book, he suddenly felt an extreme headache hit him, causing the man to step back a bit to take a breather._   
_Maybe the fear was getting to him, but now he was thinking that he heard just the tiniest of whispers fill the room and every so often, he thought he would see someone standing in the corner of the room, staring him down as he held onto the book. On top of that, the giant monster was just outside of the room, getting ready to bust the door down any minute. Ryan knew he should run._

_But now, something kept him there, staring down at the book. Shaking fingers flipped through the pages, old and barely untouched. Every sentence written down in the book were organized much like a list and every single one was written much like a wish. Or, asking for a bargain to be more exact._

_Finally, he came to a blank page and that's when the whispers became more clear._

**_'Make a wish.'_ **

**_'What's your desire?'_ **

**_'What is it you want more than anything? He'll offer a trade, you know.'_ **

**_'We can give it to you. He can give it to you. He will. He likes making deals.'_ **

**_'Make a wish, make a wish.'_ **

_Ryan stared down at the blank page. The door behind him rattled and Ryan was depserate. He wanted to start over. He wanted to make sure Evan, Jon and Bryce got out alive and well. He wanted them to be okay. He wanted the images of their blood staining the floor to vanish out of his mind. He just wanted to try again. Try until he got it right._

_"Let me try again... Please." The rattling behind him stopped immediately and Ryan almost thought that the creature was in the room. But instead, the whispering faded away and the movements that Ryan kept catching in the corner of his eyes quickly stopped. "Let me try again and again until you catch me. Not Evan, not Jon, not Bryce. Me. If you manage to fucking kill me then you fucking win. But if I manage to get out of here with all of my friends, then we get to go home. Until then, let me start over."_

_Ryan placed the book back on it's pedestal and stared down at the blank page. Nearby, a pen sat and Ryan snatched it up, glaring down at the page. He wrote down his deal for the damn creature, trying to ignore how he could no longer feel his other arm. Once his wish was written down, he pulled away from the pedestal listening as one more whisper told him what to do to complete the deal._

**_'Seal the deal with fire.'_ **

_He grabbed the torch that sat in the corner and threw it down onto the book, watching as the book went up in flames, reducing it to ash. The flame went out soon after, leaving Ryan alone in the dark. He stood alone in the darkness, closing his eyes tightly as he felt the pain in his arm wash away._

_He felt cold. He felt hot. Then he felt nothing._

_And then he woke up alone in the piano room with no trace of Evan's blood, Bryce's blood or his blood on his hoodie._

_He thought it all to be a hallucination, until he left the piano room in a hurry to go to the room where Evan had died. To see if it was true. To see if maybe they were starting over._

_He didn't see Evan's body. And instead was greeted with the sight of a familiar blonde man curled up, sleeping on a nearby bed without an injury to be seen._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, if things don't make sense here, it will be cleared up in upcoming chapters, no worries.


	18. Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another memory in the beginning BUT THEN... - Crest <3

_Tyler bounced his leg nervously as he stared down at the carpeted floor below his feet. His hands gripped onto the cushions of Luke's couch as he glanced up to watch Luke pace back and forth with his cellphone pressed to his ear. He let out a nervous sigh and looked away in favor of looking over to Craig, who sat next to him and nearly copied all of his actions._

_Across the room, Brock leaned against the wall of Luke's living room, eyeing his own cellphone carefully as he texted Brian about the recent events and in the kitchen, Tyler could clearly hear Lui, Nogla and Marcel talk among each other about who to contact next. Tyler swallowed hard as he tried to process what was happening._

_It had been a week since they had sent Evan, Jonathan, Ryan and Bryce off to stay the night at the mansion that was rumored to be in the woods right outside of their city. They were only supposed to be gone for a day, but here they are, over a week later with no word from their friends._

_Luke was the first to say something, wondering why he hadn't seen Jon or any of the other three for a few days. He had texted Jon endlessly, wondering where the boy had run off to. Wondering how the haunted house had gone. Just wondering where he was. But he never got a response._

_That's when Tyler began to question it. Sure, Jon had a tendency to disappear from time to time. He had days where he wasn't all that social. Same with Ryan and Evan, but even then, at least the latter two always answered their texts, no matter what. Tyler had sent ten text messages to Evan since then, and not a single one had been read._

_A week had passed, and that's when Jonathan's family had gotten into contact with Luke. And that's when everything went to chaos. No one had heard a single word from the four of them since they left that day to go stay at the mansion. So, finally, Jonathan's family got the police involved on the case. One thing led to another, the police informed Evan's, Bryce's and Ryan's families and then it seemed like the entire city were joining the search._

_Now, they sat in Luke's house, watching as Luke tried to calm Jon's sister down over the phone and Tyler felt nothing but guilt for it all._

_"I know, I know...Yeah. Yeah, I know. I'm-- .... Yeah." Luke let out a heavy and stressed sigh, running a hand down his face. He spared a glance over to Tyler and Craig, and if Tyler had paid more attention, then maybe he would have caught the small glare he had on his face. "Mm-hm... I'll let you know if I find anything. Let me know if you do too, mmkay? ...Okay. Okay, bye, tell the family I love 'em. ...Yeah, bye." He hung up the phone, sliding the device into his pocket before looking back at the others._

_"..No luck?" The defeat was evident in Craig's voice as he softly spoke to the other. The shake of his head was enough to make Craig fall back into the couch with a broken whine. "I don't... I don't understand? Where could they have gone? No one went to find the mansion to see if they were there?"_

_"Brock, Marcel and I did." Luke nodded towards Brock, who looked up from his phone with such a worried expression on his face. "We couldn't even find the mansion. Hopefully the police know where it's at. If they're still there, then they should find Evan's car, right? And with any luck, they'll find them soon after."_

_They all nodded and Tyler didn't want to think about the possibility that maybe they had gotten into trouble. That maybe they ran into someone they weren't supposed to run into. And then he began thinking that they would be lucky if they just found the alive instead of dead. God, he really hoped that it would never come to that._

_Luke looked towards the kitchen before looking back at Brock. "Still texting Brian?" He asked, earning a small nod from the other._

_"He's um... He hasn't heard from them but he's kinda upset that he wasn't around to keep them from going missing." Brock sat the phone aside and sighed. "As selfish as it sounds, I'm glad he didn't get to go. I don't think I could handle it five of my friends went missing instead of just four. Not that this doesn't already hurt, it's just--"_

_"Brock." Tyler cut him off, waving a hand. "Dude, it's fine. We know what you mean. Just take it easy." He watched Brock nod slowly before sinking back into the couch, mirroring Craig's movements._

_"They find out anything?" Luke motioned towards the kitchen, where Lui, Nogla and Marcel each had their own phone, calling anyone they could think of to find out the whereabouts of their friends._

_Tyler sighed and shrugged. "I dunno, it's been a bit since I've asked and Marcel's getting a bit pissy at me. Stress is getting to him I guess. I just know that they called Scotty, John and Smitty but they didn't know anything. I called Anthony a bit ago, but he didn't know shit... Nogla called Chilled and his friends, and they were clueless. I think Lui called Adam and Sark... No go and that just means that Evan hasn't been to work in a week. Sark's pretty worried, to be honest."_

_"What about Michelle? She know anything about Ryan?"_

_"Not at all."_

_Luke fell down into one of his cushioned chairs and held his head. "How do we lose four fucking people? How do FOUR people who happen to be the most annoying motherfuckers I have ever met just-- VANISH? Like-- Where the fuck did they go?!"_

_Everyone remained silent, unable to think of an answer for the other. They were all upset, of course. The four who went missing were near and dear to their hearts, but they weren't nearly as close as Luke was to Jonathan, Ryan, and Bryce. The four were true best friends and it was hard to catch them when they weren't hanging around each other._

_The same could have been said for Tyler and Evan._

_"Ugh, I knew that mansion was a bad fucking idea." Luke grumbled loudly, earning a frown from Tyler._

_"Hey, none of us could have known that--"_

_"Yeah, but you could have easily come up with another bet, Tyler!" Well, Tyler knew exactly who Luke was going to be pushing the blame onto and while he felt angry and insulted that Luke would accuse him of such, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of pain from it._

_"Everyone seemed fucking okay with the bet before!" Tyler shot back, ignoring the small looks of panic that appeared on Craig's and Brock's face. "Jonathan was excited as fuck to go! You can't blame me for this!"_

_"Evan didn't wanna go." Tyler stopped upon hearing those words and he thought back to setting the whole thing up. He remembered Evan's reluctance, yeah, but he did eventually give in, saying that he needed to make sure that Jonathan didn't fall down a hole and break his neck. Tyler took that as everything being okay. "Evan never liked scary shit like that, you know--"_

_"I fucking know what he doesn't like. He's my fucking best friend, not yours." Tyler snapped back at Luke, climbing to his feet. "It's not just your fucking friend that's missing, jackass, mine is gone too and I could do without your fucking finger pointing in my damn face."_

_At this point, both Craig and Brock were on their feet, attempting to defuse the situation but Luke and Tyler were having none of it. They were both to their feet now, staring each other down with dangerous glares and clenched fists as if daring the other to say something else. "They wouldn't be missing if it wasn't for your stupid ass bet, Tyler!"_

_"You can't fucking blame that shit on me! How the fuck was I supposed to know that they would go missing?! I wasn't, that's the point! It was HARMLESS so it's NOT my fault!" Tyler shoved at Luke, knocking him back a bit. Somewhere behind him, he heard Craig call his name._

_"Tyler!"_

_"If you're going to blame me for stupid shit like this, then I think we're all to blame here! We just let them go, right? With that logic, it's your fault for letting Jon run off. It's their fault for going in the first place, so get your high and mighty attitude out of your ass and stop blaming me for this shit!" Luke's face fell, and in the corner of Tyler's eye, he could see Lui, Nogla and Marcel enter the room to see what was going on. He felt Craig grab onto his arm to pull him back._

_"Tyler, for fuck's sake, knock it off!" He didn't back off, he just glared at Luke's hurt expression. "Tyler, Tyler!"_

"Tyleeer!" 

Craig's voice pulled Tyler out of his sleep and back into reality. He blinked his heavy eyes and stifled a yawn before glancing over to his boyfriend who sat in the driver's seat. The younger stared at him with a worried smile, reaching over to poke at his cheek before focusing back on the road. 

"Morning, sleepy head. You were mumbling in your sleep." He pointed out, as Tyler stretched his arms out as best as he can. "Pretty intense dream, hm?"

Tyler sat up in his seat, rubbing at his neck to feel an indentation there where the seatbelt must have dug into his skin while he was asleep. Example one on why he hated seatbelts. "Mm... Guess so. Thought back to the last time I saw Luke."

Craig fell silent and Tyler didn't blame them. After the fight he had with Luke, he had zero contact with the guy. Out of anger and guilt, Tyler tried to stay away from the other as much as possible and only heard about how he was doing and progress on the police search through Craig or Brock.

That was around two months ago and suddenly, Luke had called him asking for him and Craig to come over to his house because he had news about the police investigation and something else. The fact that Luke wouldn't tell Tyler whether or not they found the caused dread to set into his gut. He immediately thought of the worst, thinking that the police had found the bodies of their four friends and that Luke wanted to tell the in person. To discuss funeral plans and what not.

He sighed and reached over to grab at Craig's hand, listening to how he complained about needing both hands to drive. Tyler ignored him, just needing human contact right now. 

"Didn't sleep well last night." He mentioned, watching as Craig's eyes darted away from the road to give him a brief look. 

"You've been having problems sleeping for a while now..." 

Tyler squeezed Craig's hand, and Craig returned the gesture. "Not since it happened, nah."

Craig nodded solemnly, and Tyler examined his face carefully. He noticed how much Craig tried to smile when he was around, to try and push the illusion that he was okay. That they were both going to be okay. He pretended not to notice how Craig would sometimes space out and stare at the wall whenever they played video games that just happened to remind them of their friends. After all, if Craig caught him staring, he would just smile and pretend nothing happened.

"Can you try not to argue with Luke this time...?" Craig suddenly whispered, giving a pleading look over to Tyler. "Can you try and make up with him? I don't wanna lose anymore friends over this, you know."

Tyler sighed and nodded. "Was thinkin' of doing that myself, actually. I'll... try."

"That's all I ask. We're almost there so take a bit to calm down, okay?"

"Don't tell me what to do." At least that got a little bit of a laugh from Craig.

* * *

  
When they arrived at Luke's they were immediately greeted by Brock and Brian sitting out on his porch. Brock immediately went to hug Tyler and then Craig upon seeing them, smiling at them kindly as he asked how they were doing, and how nice it was to see them again. He was followed by Brian, who gave Tyler a quick hug, patting his back with a small grin on his face. 

"I haven't seen you fuckers in a while." Brian mentioned, running a hand through his hair. "I was gettin' a little worried about ya."

"We've been doing okay." Craig spoke up, saving Tyler from the struggles of the small talk when all he really wanted was to hear Luke's news. "We managed to get a new apartment a bit aways from here. That's why it was an hour drive."

"It could've been further." Brock said, moving to open the door for them. "Lui and Marcel were here but they left right before we got here. We're the only ones who could have made it, since Nogla's back in Ireland for a while and everyone else was busy. I'm just glad you were able to make it, Tyler. Luke really wanted you to come."

Brock meant that to be said as a comfort but it only helped his anxiety spike up. What the fuck kind of news did Luke have? Craig reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly before the four of them walked into Luke's house. 

The house was quiet and empty feeling and Tyler was able to immediately realize why that was. Every time he had come over to Luke's, which wasn't many in hindsight, he always spotted Jonathan here, freeloading the shit out of his friend. He thought back to the day where they were all trying to contact everyone to find their friends and suddenly he began to feel ill.

Brock and Brian led Craig and Tyler into the kitchen and Tyler hesitated when he saw Luke sitting at the table with a can of soda sitting across from him. His leg bounced impatiently and he had a distant stare as he gazed off across the room. The fact that he wasn't exactly bouncing with joy sent bad vibes into Tyler. 

Across from Luke and his drink, laid a map that was sprawled out over the table, wrinkled with indentations that showed that was was likely folded and put away for however long Luke had owned it. Luke had likely been following the search since it began and Tyler couldn't feel worse. Before Tyler could examine the map closer, Luke looked over his shoulder to notice the two newcomers and climbed to his feet.

"Hey, guys. Glad you made it." He moved to give Craig a quick and friendly hug, who gladly returned it, and then moved to offer his hand to Tyler. 

Tyler had none of that, and instead took his hand and pulled him into a hug as well, patting his back gently before pulling away. They didn't say anything about it. 

"It's good to see you again." Craig mentioned with a small smile watching as Tyler moved to stand by Brock as if to avoid an awkward situation. Luke nodded, nodding towards the table as an invitation for everyone to have a seat. Brock and Brian gladly accepted but when Tyler didn't move from his spot by the counter, Craig decided to move over and stand by him as opposed to sitting down.

There was silence as Luke sat back down, and Tyler watched as his eyes gazed over the room before trailing down to the table and towards the map. Something was wrong. Something happened that upset Luke, they all could tell, and Tyler was afraid to hear it. 

"They're calling off the search." 

And there it was, staring them dead in the face. "Wh...What?!" Tyler exclaimed, anger immediately showing itself. "How could they just call off the search?! They better have fucking found them if they're calling that shit off, otherwise I'll march my fucking ass up to the station and--"

"They haven't been able to find any sort of evidence or trail since the search began." Luke leaned forward and covered his face with a sigh. "Any and all trails lead to the forest but after that? There's just no trail, nothing. I told them to go find and search that God damned mansion and they had the fucking nerve to tell me that they looked and couldn't find it and that it didn't matter anyway because the fucking mansion was a myth! Like-- Okay, _sure_ , buddy, but then where the fuck is Jonathan? Where the fuck are my friends?!"

"That's such bullshit!" Brian piped in, jumping to his feet as if he were going to get up and go demand some answers right now, but a simple tug on the arm from Brock was enough to get the other to sit back down. But a simple glance around the room made it clear that Tyler and Brian were fuming. 

"We can't just fucking give up on them! I'm not letting Evan and the guys just disappear like this!" The thought of Evan, Jonathan, Ryan and Bryce becoming just another missing person that would most likely be forgotten within the year made Tyler sick to his stomach. He didn't want to be two years down the road and force himself to move on and accept the fact that they may be dead. No, he refused. He wanted to see it with his own eyes or not accept it at all.

Luke apparently felt the same. He looked back around the room, taking note of the tears welling up in Craig's eyes, taking note of how Brock began to chew on his lips again in a way that broke skin, taking note of Brian taking a deep breath to calm himself as he clenched and unclenched his fist, taking note of Tyler staring dead at him as the anger slowly took over and then he finally spoke. "I'm not giving up on them. The cops are fucking useless so fuck them. I'm gonna go out and find them myself. And if they're hurt or... or worse, then I'm hunting the fucker that dare put his hand on my brother and I'm going to rip his fucking ribs out of his body and stab him in the fucking throat with them."

The atmosphere immediately changed in the room from grief to shock, but there was no hesitation before Tyler stepped forward. "Not without me, you're not." He narrowed his eyes, feeling as a hand slipped into his own. He didn't look back at Craig and instead just squeezed in response. "If they got hurt or killed by someone, I'm caving a fucker's skull in."

"Count me in too." Brian was on his feet again and no amount of tugging from Brock could make him sit down this time. He leaned over the table, putting a hand on the map in front of Luke and began pointing. "That's why you have this bloody thing, right? You're trying to figure out where to go!"

"That much was obvious but thank you, Brian." 

"I'm in but like... this... doesn't see safe." Craig pointed out, moving to the table to look over the map before looking back up at the others. "Like-- you know that, right? You guys REALLY know that?" 

"Of course they know it!" Brock spoke before Brian could even think to respond. He stood up as well, a frown of worry written clearly on his face. "Which is why we're not doing this unless we're fully planned out, prepared and... well... just in case, armed." 

"That's fine by me, Brock. For the record, Marcel and Lui left earlier to try and find out as much about that mansion as possible." Luke took his can of soda and took a long sip before putting it aside. "So we just have to plan until we have a plan that we're all satisfied with, agreed?" 

They all nodded and each sat down around the map, ready to come up with a plan to find that house, find their friends and find the reason why they had gone missing. Tyler took his seat next to Luke, nudging him once with his elbow as a silent apology. Luke nudged back and suddenly the tension between the two began to settle.

Craig was happy to see it. 

They spent the next several hours talking through ideas, with Brock and Craig on impulse control. Any plan that seemed impulsive enough to put anyone in danger was immediately shot down by the latter. But eventually, a plan was put into place. They each had to be armed and ready to accept what they find, as much as it pained Luke to say it. They needed to be ready to break and enter the mansion once it was found, and do it quietly. If there's danger, don't confront unless it's absolutely necessary. Brock made sure everyone was aware of that rule, Brian and Tyler especially.

After they agreed on a plan, Marcel called Luke's phone, telling him all that he learned. Most of the rumors he found were said to be nothing more than myths, while others warned him and Lui to stay far away from the house, otherwise they'll never come back home. Other's claimed to have seen the house but the rest claimed it didn't exist. It was unnerving in the least. 

But finally, one old man was kind enough (or not) to give Marcel the directions to the mansion, while also giving him a weird but creepy piece of advice. _'If the mansion wants you, then it'll let you find it.'._

When Luke heard of that, he found it chilling but shrugged it off as him saying the mansion was cleverly hidden in the trees or something. So with that, he bid Marcel goodbye, telling him and Lui to stay in town while they went to search. If something happened, after all, someone had to submit their missing person's report. 

"Alright. We have a plan in place." Luke summed it up, climbing to his feet. "Brian, you and Brock head back to your place and get that gun you mentioned. I'll see what I can find here for Craig and Tyler, and we'll all meet back here later because we're leaving tonight. Can't really break into the place in pure daylight, right?"

"Just remember the flashlights." Brock mentioned, followed by a nod from Tyler. 

"Yeah, yeah, my phone has one but I'll bring a spare, just in case." Tyler pushed his phone into his pocket, watching at Brock and Brian climbed to their feet and began to head out. He turned to Luke. "...What do you think we'll find?"

"With any luck?" Luke crossed his arms and scowled. "If I'm lucky, I'll find Jonathan alive and in good health so I can punch his ass for making me worry for two months."

"Oh, what a fucking coincidence. That's exactly what I'm going to do to Evan."

"Great minds think alike."

"Apparant-fucking-ly." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...SOME FAMILIAR FACES ENTER THE FRAY - Crest  <3


	19. Jonathan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS TOOK SO LONG BECAUSE I ENDED UP REWRITING IT THREE TIMES, I AM SO SORRY!! 
> 
> But hey, it's another memory, another chapter and it's a GOOD one, filled with h2ovanoss goodness. - <3 Crest

_"Jonathan, what were you even thinking?!"_

_Jonathan stared up at the white ceiling, ignoring the whirring of machines nearby. He **tried** to ignore how much his body ached and the cast that was wrapped around his arm, but the itchy skin that was hidden beneath was making that difficult... along with the nagging boyfriend who sat on the left side of the hospital bed. _

_"Jon, are you listening to me?!" Evan squinted, sitting up in his seat as his voice began to rise. Jonathan sighed and glanced over with a frown and that was enough to get Evan to sit back into his chair._

_"You've been yelling for the last ten minutes, you know." He pointed out, flinching just slightly when Evan glared back._

_"Because you're ignoring me, you fuck!" Jonathan figured he had a good reason to. The cast on his arm was enough of a reminder that he fucked up. He didn't need Evan reminding him as well. "Seriously, man, when it's busy like that, you have to look both ways before crossing the street! You could have died!"_

_Jonathan grumbled as he recalled the day's earlier events. Evan had been working nonstop lately, leaving hardly any time for the couple to actually go out and do something together. So when Evan received a phone call from Sark, saying that he didn't need to come into work today, Jonathan was ecstatic. He immediately demanded that they go out to eat together and Evan smiled and agreed._ _They walked down their street together, ignoring how busy it was as they walked hand in hand, with Jonathan blabbering on and on happily, as Evan listened carefully, chiming in with his own joke every so often. It was fine until Jon saw the restaurant up ahead, pulling out of Evan's grip to hurry over as excitement over took him. He took two steps across the road, forgetting to look around, and then suddenly, he heard Evan yell, tires screech and suddenly he was on the ground._

_And now, he was stuck in the hospital with a fractured arm and a busted head because he had gotten too excited about their date. The whole thing sucked, really._

_"I'm fine, dude. The car managed to stop before it got too bad." Jonathan argued, sighing as he sat back onto the hospital bed. That didn't seem to be enough to sate Evan though, so he continued. "The doc said I'd be fine, and no one else was hurt and I've learned my god damn lesson. Everything is fine."_

_Evan quickly disagreed. "But it almost wasn't--"_

_"Evan." Jonathan's tone was short and stern and it dragged in a silence between them. He was tired of hearing the same thing from the other, over and over again. He knew that he made a mistake and having the reminder thrown at him at every moment only made him feel worse. He didn't want this, he never wanted this. "I said I'm fine. It's over. Just stop fucking reminding me, okay?"_

_"...Okay."_

_Evan sighed and fell back into his own seat in silence, and the tension became as thick as peanut butter and Jonathan hated every bit of it. All he wanted was to spend the day with his boyfriend, and because of his inability to pay attention to his surroundings, he ended up fucking that up and now Evan was mad, which made him mad. They were both mad and Jonathan hated it._

_The silence stayed forever as they waited for the doctor to show up, which normally took way longer than necessary. It was one of the many reasons why Jon hated hospital visits. It only made it worse on his anxiety to be stuck there while having Evan mad at him. By habit, he reached for his pocket with his good hand, digging into it to grab for his phone in a desperate need for a distraction, and he near panicked when he found it missing._

_He heard Evan move nearby, but he didn't look up. Instead he dug into his other pocket and then attempted to check his back pockets, flinching a bit in pain. His phone was nowhere to be found, and now he wondered if he had dropped it on the road and left it behind for it to get crushed into millions of pieces by passing cars. The thought made him sick as he thought of just how many pictures and saved texts he had on that phone. The thought of it being gone made the situation that much worse._

_But then Evan's hand came into view, with a familiar cellular device in it._

_Oh. So he had it. Of course Evan would make sure to grab it. They both knew how much of a comfort item the phone was for Jonathan, after all. He hesitated, staring at Evan's hand before glancing back up at the raven haired boy. Finally, he gratefully took the phone, letting fingers linger against Evan's palm. Evan quickly responded by wrapping his hand around Jonathan's._

_"...I'm sorry, you just really scared me." Evan finally spoke, squeezing Jon's hand. Jonathan could only stare up at Evan with a frown. "When I saw the car coming, I thought you were gonna die... When you were on the ground, I couldn't move-- and I had to push past some people to get to you and for a second, I thought you were dead! I-- You don't know how relieved I was to see you turn and look up at me..."_

_Jonathan knew that Evan was scared. He was too, but now it was over and he was fine, if not a little depressed over the fuck up. "Babe--" He sighed and pulled his hand away, placing the phone aside before reaching back over and grabbing onto Evan's hand, pulling him towards the hospital bed. "I was just excited, man. I haven't gone out with you in forever, and I just forgot to look around... I fucked up, I know and I'm sorry. Can we just leave it at that?"_

_Evan leaned back next to him, leaning his head against Jon's shoulder and for the brief moment, he contemplated it as he ran a thumb gently against Jon's hand. Finally, Evan grinned, sat back up and spoke, "No, we can't." Jonathan nearly bristled with anger until Evan swooped down and pressed his lips against his own._ _It was a quick kiss, just a simple peck of the lips that still made Jon's chest fill up to the rim with butterflies. He felt Evan's hand leave his own in favor of cupping his cheek and then Evan pulled away, smiling down at Jonathan. "We can leave it at that, though."_

_Jonathan blinked, and then laughed loudly before grabbing onto Evan's shirt in an attempt to pull him closer. "Well, maybe I don't wanna leave it at that..." He directed a wink at his boyfriend, and Evan's cheeks turned pink before a laugh left his throat._

_"Well, I'd rather not have a make out session while we wait for the doctor, man." Evan explained, watching as Jon's face fell in disappointed. "But the good news is, I texted Sark and told him what happened. I asked if I could have the next two days off and he said yes! So, I'm all yours, baby."_

_That alone made him feel a little better. He fucked up today, and even though he'd be in a lot of pain for the next few days, the fact that Evan was going to be there made him feel just a little bit better. So, he smiled wide in excitement and sat up from the bed. "Oh my god-- yes!! You really get to stay!? I'm gonna go and kiss Sark right the fuck now."_

_"Don't kiss Sark, kiss me instead." Evan laughed, sitting back down. Jonathan could only wink._

_"Always."_

* * *

  
**_"You must be Jonathan, huh? They told me a lot about you. I'm excited to meet you man."_**

Jonathan's head ached immensely. He closed his eyes tightly, turning his head to try and bury it into the pillow beneath his head. Images flashed one after another in his mind and it was getting to be too much. He couldn't remember what had happened before, what had caused him to fall into such a state.

**_"Hey, do you wanna come back to my place and play some video games with me and the guys?" A raven haired boy stared down at him with a nervous smile on his face. "Tyler won't mind. He'll pretend that he's an asshole but he'll like you, I know it."_ **

His hands gripped at the blanket beneath his body and squeezed as tight as he could. He tried to keep his breathing steady but he was losing it. There were just too many images. Too many thoughts. The raven-haired boy looked so familiar but he couldn't keep his head together long enough to catch a name.

**_"Do you remember when we met about a couple of months ago?" The raven-haired boy sat next to him, legs crossed neatly. He held a can of soda in his hand and casually draped his other arm around Jon's shoulder. He turned and flashed that pearly white grin that made Jonathan blush. "You were so quiet at first and now I can rarely get you to shut up! Do you remember?"_ **

**_It was all so damned familiar. He remembered._**

Jonathan felt a hand gently touch his own and it only made the images worse. He let out a pained whine, struggling to pick up the pieces. Struggling to put it together. Struggling to remember it all. 

And he was remembering. He was remembering everything. His name was Jonathan. He grew up with his mother and a sister. His dad had left the picture when he was young and it never bothered him. Jonathan never pursued him. He never had a reason to. He was happy, even if he suffered a bit from depression and social anxiety. It happened to the best of them, after all. He managed to survive it and he had to thank his friend Luke for helping him survive it.

**_"What brought this on, Evan?" Jonathan had asked, leaning against the chest covered in a rough, red jacket. "You're being sentimental as fuck."_ **

**_"I was just..." The boy trailed off, finding the wall so much more interesting than the conversation. At least, he pretended it was. Jonathan could tell he was very invested in what he was about to say. "...I wanted to ask you-- Um... Do you wanna go out sometime... Like... on a date, or something. Just the two of us?"_ **

**_"...I've never wanted anything more in my life. Yes."_ **

He had a boyfriend. They became friends through other friends and had hit it off instantly. They were best friends within the week that they knew each other and they were always together. A few months into their friendship, he had asked Jonathan out and the date that followed was possibly the best day of Jon's life, even if the date went horribly. They agreed to try again and they had been dating ever since. 

**_Jon nodded, eyes filled with awe at the mansion in front of them. It was perfect. He always had a love for the horror genre and everything scary. Spending the night in a horror mansion was perfect in every way possible._**  
  
 ** _"Man... Still can't believe we lost that bet to Tyler and the others..." His boyfriend piped up, lamenting the loss with a sigh. "I never wanted to come five miles near this place."_**  
  
 ** _Jon let out a small giggle at that, earning a smack on the arm from him. "Evaaan is scared, Evaaan is scared.~" He began to sing, earning yet another smack on the arm._**   
  
"Delirious...?" A familiar voice called out to him. The images in his mind started to settle as anxiety began to twist deep into his chest. 

**_"Fuck, fuck FUCK--" He screamed out as he gripped at the unmoving form that laid at his lap. Quickly, he scrambled to pick up the body of his boyfriend and hold it close to his chest as tears stung at his eyes. It was all over. He was dead and there was nothing Jonathan could do to save him. He had left him behind and now he paid the price._ **

**_He could only sob into the cold neck of his lover, rocking back and forth while whispering pleads and nothing's into the ear that could no longer hear nor respond to his words._ **

**_"I love you... I love you.. I'm so sorry... I love you... Evan... Evan--"_**

"DELIRIOUS!" The sudden shout of a name caused Jonathan to awaken with a start. 

"Evan?!" He jumped into the sitting position, not noticing the fact that Vanoss was sitting right above him. Their heads collided with a loud smack and suddenly, Jonathan wanted to die. 

Vanoss fell back from the bed, and onto the floor, gripping his forehead tightly as he whined and squirmed on the dusty wooden floor beneath him. Jonathan did the same on the safety of his bed. The pain was intense but Jonathan quickly tried to ignore it in favor of staring down at the boy who laid on the floor. 

The living boy. His boyfriend. His living and breathing and honest to god, ALIVE, boyfriend. The man who he thought he would never even see again was sitting here, right in front of him, holding his forehead with tears of pain in his eyes. 

Oh.

Oops.

"Holy fucking shit, Delirious--" Vanoss squeaked out, sitting up on the floor to look at the other. "I didn't mean to scare you that bad, shit..." 

His voice was music to his ears. Jonathan couldn't say anything, he could only sit there and stare at the other in shock. Was this really happening? Was Evan sitting right here in front of him, alive and well? Or could it be that they were both death and this was the afterlife? If that was the case, the afterlife was disgusting and dusty but having Evan here made it all worth it. 

"Delirious? Are you okay?"

He's okay. He's alive. He was alive. He's sitting right here, alive and well.

All reasonable thinking was now out the window. The memory of his forgotten memories was momentarily forgotten as Jonathan quickly made his way onto the floor, next to Vanoss. He grabbed onto the other's face tightly, earning a confused look from the raven-haired boy and before Vanoss could say another word, Jonathan crashed their lips together as he pulled Vanoss closer. 

Vanoss hesitated, gripping onto Jon's sleeves before carefully kissing back. Eyes slipped closed and just for the moment, they were forgetting where they were and what was happening. Jonathan, instead, focused on the chapped lips that slowly moved against his, and the shaking hand that held onto his sleeve tightly. A small noise left Vanoss and suddenly, he was pulling away, wide eyed and breathless. Jonathan cupped his red cheeks and smiled so wide. 

"You're okay... I just-- I can't believe it... I seriously can't-- I just-- I thought I lost you before..." He began to babble in excitement, face lighting up as he rubbed his thumb against Vanoss' cheek, as if to make sure he was real. It was. 

The confused look on Vanoss' face, however, immediately stopped Jonathan in his tracks. "...I... What? Delirious, what do you mean? I-- What was that for?"

Oh. Right.

For the moment, Jonathan had forgotten all about the amnesia thing. The fact that he had lost all of his memories. The fact that Evan had forgotten everything. Nothing was making sense, now that he thought about it. He saw Evan die, and he knew that he had died too. Being ripped apart was a pretty noticeable thing. And yet, here they sat, alive and well and Vanoss, thankfully, couldn't remember a thing. 

He sat there, staring down at Jonathan as he tried to figure out what had happened and why Jonathan had kissed him, so Jonathan decided to try and clear it up. "...My name is Jonathan."

"What--?"

"My name is Jonathan, Vanoss." He gripped onto Vanoss' hand, speaking softly in an effort to stop from spooking him. "I--I remember shit now! I remember everything and It-- You--" 

Upon hearing his name, Vanoss' face perked up. Realization dawned on his face and Jonathan immediately stopped talking. Vanoss glanced around the room, trying to put pieces together before taking a chance at guessing what was happening. "You're... my boyfriend."

"You remember!?"

"No..." Vanoss shook his head and Jonathan felt a tinge of disappointment in his heart. The raven-haired boy decided to continue, in an effort to explain himself. "I remembered-- When those flashes hit me earlier, I heard some names. Evan was one of them. Another was Jonathan. I remember saying something about losing a boyfriend. And then you kissed me..." 

He shrugged and Jonathan felt proud that he managed to put two and two together. "I figured that... maybe we were dating... And you kept calling me Evan. Is... Is that my name?"

Jonathan watched as Vanoss-- No, Evan looked down at him with a tinge of hope in his eyes and he couldn't stop himself from reaching up to yank the other into a tight hug, pushing his face into Evan's neck. "Yeah, yeah, it's your name. Evan Fong is your name and we've been dating for over a year now. Maybe more, I dunno. I suck at remembering dates. But you always remembered and you never really cared if I didn't. You'd remind me every fuckin' month."

Evan hugged back just as tightly, smiling widely against Jon's hair. "Can't remember now, though..."

"We'll fix that... Right now, we just need to get out of here." Jonathan sat back and stared into Evan's face before looking around the room. 

The room was empty, aside from the furniture that seemed to be in every room. Bryce was nowhere to be seen and-- 

He stopped and sighed, running a hand over his face. He forgot about Ohm... or to be more exact, Ryan. He didn't recognize the other due to the memory loss but now that his memories were back, he remembered their little bunny guide. The guide that seemed to be hiding something and now that he knew who it was, he began to wonder what exactly his friend had been getting into while they were here. Did he remember anything? Did he know what was going on?

"Evan, where's Bryce? Where's Ryan?" He looked over at Evan, nudging at him to get up. Evan did so and Jonathan followed after. 

"Bryce and Ohm went out of the room for a bit. Who's Ryan--"

"Ohm. Ryan is Ohm." Jonathan quickly answered, glancing towards the door. "Listen, I'll explain it in detail soon, but Ryan-- Ohm is our friend and I need to find out what the hell happened through him, so--" 

A loud beeping noise suddenly burst out from Jonathan's pocket, startling the two out of their skin. Evan jumped away from Jonathan instinctively, and Jonathan nearly fell to the floor in surprise. It took him several minutes to calm the hell down and realize that his fucking phone had gone off, letting out the tone used whenever he got a message. 

...Why would he get a message?

He snatched the phone out of his pocket and stared at the notification with wide eyes. He didn't have service but he still managed to get a text from someone. While the number didn't have a name on it, due to everything apparently being deleted on it (he would mourn that later), he still recognized the number immediately. 

Evan looked over his shoulder. "..What the fuck? Your phone is working? Who sent that?" He reached over to tug at the phone as if trying to see the message better. Jonathan let him see immediately.

_**Unknown Sender [Received] Jon i just got your texts and im fu cking confused** _

_**Unknown Sender [Received] what the fuck happened??? what happened to evan???** _

_**Unknown Sender [Received] Fuck man it's been two months we've been all over looking for you we're coming to find you right now, the police are fucking useless!!!** _

_**Unknown Sender [Received] are you even still alive? please say something** _

_**Unknown Sender [Received] im gonna kill the fucker that made this happen, trust me.** _

"...It's Luke." Jonathan whispered, earning a confused noise from Evan. "My best friend-- he.. he always hung out with us. You really liked him. When-- Something happened, Evan, and I thought you died..." He glanced away from Evan, not wanting to tell him that he had actually seen it happen with his own two eyes. "I texted Luke to try and calm myself down but my messages never sent... I... don't know why they did now..."

Evan stared at the phone with a hard look before slipping his arms around Jonathan's waist in comfort. "...Maybe your phone is messing up..." He suggested with a bite of the lip. "Try texting him, see if it'll send."

Jonathan nodded, quickly swiping his fingers over the screen, typing the words quickly and haphazardly, like he had always done before. Nerves began to set in, wondering if he could get a hold to Luke at all, and if he could, he wondered if the other could even be of much help. Did he even want Luke to risk himself for them anyway?

_**Unknown Sender [Sent] luke oh my ofg d oh my god okay listen** _

_**Unknown Sender [Sent] If you geet these, im alive were all still alive. ryan, evan and bryce ar e still alive.** _

_**Unknown Sender [Sent] do NOT come into this fuck ing house, i swear to fucking god i'll kill you myself.** _

_**Unknown Sender [Sent] we're alive and we're tgrying to get out of here, just please dont come in here** _

Jonathan pushed the send button for the final time before stopping, leaving him and Evan staring at the phone with wide and expectant eyes. One after another, the messages sent through and suddenly everything seemed okay for the moment. He got a hold of Luke and told him to stay away. Sure, he'd get a bunch of angry texts but maybe he would realize that they would be fine alone.

...He knew Luke better than that because the moment the last text sent, Jonathan's phone began to ring, with the same number from before showing up on Contact I.D.


	20. Ryan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a shorter chapter, I know, I apologize and I know some things may not make sense but it's the best I could write, I'm sorry ;; Next chapter, we're gonna see what the heckie Tyler and the rest are doing, promise. - <3 Crest

There was nothing more painful for Ohm than sitting down and explaining everything to Bryce. 

He started off explaining how he, Bryce, Evan, Jonathan, and Brian had lost a bet and were told to stay at a mansion that was rumored to be hidden deep in the forest that stood outside of town. Rumors about it floated around, sure, but there was never a confirmation that it was haunted, nor were they even sure if it existed. Still, they all packed their bags the day before and left the next afternoon in Bryce's car, sans Brian who had to cancel for a family emergency.

He told how foggy the weather was that day, which was odd considering how hot it was outside and he remembered Jonathan laughing and playfully blaming the ghosts for doing it. Ohm didn't tell Bryce about how much he regretted not turning around right then and there. Soon after that, they found the mansion that seemed to pose little to no threat at all. And like the reckless idiots they were, they went inside. 

He told Bryce how quick things went to shit. How he left for a total of five minutes and came back to everyone missing. How naive he felt when he went to search for them and came face to face with the demon. How scared he was being chased. How worried he was when Jonathan led it away, and left him with a wounded Evan. And how Bryce was nowhere to be found at that moment.

"You ran deeper into the house, Evan and Jon had told me. You apparently got it's attention long enough for Evan and Jon to get to safety." Ryan brought his knees up to his chest, staring at the wall in front of them. His face pained as he was forced to remember these events, and he wondered what sort of expression Bryce had on his own. He was too afraid to look. 

Bryce fell silent before replying. "Not long enough, apparently. Since it found you." 

"I was screaming like an idiot anyway. No doubt it found me." 

He continued, telling how he had to help the wounded Evan throughout the mansion as they searched for Jonathan and Bryce and how they had gotten trapped in a cell with the creature staring down at them. Bryce had come to their rescue, leading the monster away once again, but Ryan couldn't pursue him. Evan had collapsed soon after. 

"...He lost too much blood?" Bryce hesitantly asked, knowing how much of a sore subject that was. 

"...I dunno. Maybe?" Ryan, thinking back at it, realized it could have been a number of things. "I think the infection was the main concern..." He sounded uncertain and dull, he was sure that Bryce had picked up on it. 

He told Bryce how he had went back to where they came from and locked Evan in a room to be safe, and how he went out to search for medicine, only to be reunited with Jonathan. He described feeling so much hope whenever they found medicine, bandages and stuff to sew up the wound. He remembered how excited Jonathan was to go and see Evan again. 

He remembered how it all came crashing down.

"...It got him, then..." Bryce whispered, horrified. 

Ohm nodded, too ashamed to look at Bryce. "...I shouldn't have left him... I just..."

Not responding to Ohm's guilty words, Bryce whipped his head around to stare at the nearby door. The one which lead to Vanoss and Delirious. "But isn't Vanoss actually Evan? How is he even still alive?" 

Ohm didn't respond and instead continued. He told about how Jonathan had fallen apart after that, hardly responding to anything Ryan said. They walked through the halls in silence as they mourned for Evan and searched for Bryce. 

He didn't tell Bryce about how much the guilt ate at his very being and how the image of Evan's torn open chest would never leave his mind. 

"We found you in the basement, looking for a way out. You were so happy to find us... I hated having to let you hear that Evan was..." 

"I would have found out later regardless..." Bryce's tone was soft, as if he were trying to comfort. "It was better to do it when we weren't currently in danger."

Ohm couldn't help but to laugh bitterly at that. They were in danger, though. He told about how the creature broke through the walls, and nearly got them in the darkness before they were able to bust the door open to escape. He told how it used Evan's voice to get to Jonathan, and how Ryan had to slam the door shut, cutting ties between Jon and Evan once again. 

He told how they rested in the hallway while Bryce went to look ahead. How he tried to comfort Jonathan and how he actually got him speaking again and how much he used his phone as a way to comfort himself, something that Ryan couldn't do. They talked and came to the agreement that it wasn't either of their faults, even if they thought so. He told Bryce how it seemed okay just for that split second, before everything went wrong again.

Ohm stopped suddenly with a sharp intake of breath.

"...Ohm...?" Bryce whispered cautiously, moving to place a hand on his shoulder. "...Hey, man, you... you don't have to continue."

Ohm shrugged his hand off and ignored him. "It broke through the wall and grabbed me. I thought I was going to die but then Jonathan jumped into action and hit it in the eye. It let go but then... t-then it... it grabbed him." He swallowed hard and began to shake. "I-I tried to save him, I did but I couldn't hold on and it pulled him away and into the wall and all I remember is screaming, something cracking, a HORRIBLE smell and silence and I-- I--" 

"Ohm-- Ryan..." Bryce tried again but Ohm refused to stop. 

"I'm fine, just let me-- let me finish! Please--" 

He couldn't remember what happened directly after that. He told how the next thing he remembered was waking up in a room that was actually nearby to where they were now. How Bryce explained how he dragged him there when he was in his shocked daze before finally passing out. Everything began to seem hopeless and that the only reason Ryan kept going was to get Bryce out of there safely. 

Obviously, that didn't happen. 

"...It was my fault." He mumbled, bringing his knees to his chest. "The door was right there, with only a hole separating us. I got excited, I jumped and I made it. You... You didn't make it. You fell. Landed right on a piece of wood, and the force caused it to stab straight into your chest." 

Ohm watched as Bryce's hand instinctively moved over his own heart, eyes widening at the thought of it. "O-Oh..." Bryce mumbled, unsure how to feel about hearing of his own demise. 

Ohm considered telling him about the kiss. 

Ohm realized that it was a stupid thing to do. 

"You whispered something to me, before you died." Ohm pointed out, getting to the point that he was most ashamed of. "You told me to go to the piano room if everything went wrong. I had nothing to lose at that point and ... it actually seemed like my feet were moving on their own. I left your body in a nearby room and began to backtrack, not seeing the creature everywhere."

"...And what did you find?" The journal was once again in Bryce's hand, as he stared down at the page that instructed him to go to the piano room if everything went wrong."What was in there that helped you? Why are we alive if we're supposed to be dead?"

Ohm closed his eyes as he remembered how he numbly made his way to the piano room after that, unsure of what his goal was. The only way he could describe it was that it seemed like he was on auto-pilot and before he knew it, he was in the piano room, heading through the door into the dark hallway.

"Maybe there were other doors, but it was too dark to see them. I ran straight, because I knew that thing was behind me and I finally came to a door-- That thing bit me on my shoulder but I got into the room before it could finish me off." Ohm let out a shaky sigh. "Inside was this... room. Like-- something you'd see in a horror movie where they would summon a demon or some shit. At the end of the room was this book, sitting on an altar and every so often, I'd hear... whispers. And see things. Telling me to do something."

"What?! We're dealing with ghosts and demon sacrifices now?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" Bryce leaned forward in disbelief, watching as Ohm shrunk back against the wall. His hand instinctively went for his hood to tug it down. 

Bryce immediately reached over and grabbed both hands before he could do so. "Ohm--" He paused and thought his words over carefully. "Ryan. No more hiding, okay? Please? Look at me. Talk to me. If we're gonna live through this-- if I'm gonna remember anything, I need to know everything. I need you to look me in the eye this time and tell me what's going on."

Ohm stared back with wide eyes, feeling Bryce squeeze his hands before releasing him. Then, those same hands reached up to grab at the hood that hid his face, tugging it off of his head completely. Somewhat feeling exposed, he swallowed a mouthful of air and willed himself to continue as he quickly glanced down the halls. 

"The voices kept nagging me to do something with a book. To make a wish-- or something. Everything was getting... fuzzy. My arm was bleeding and I wasn't feeling well. My head was spinning but for some reason, I kept clearly hearing instructions in my head and I... followed them without question..." Was he under some sort of influence? He wasn't sure. "The book at the altar had all sorts of wishes written in it. Deals or... something. And something told me to make a deal... that it would help me and I-- I didn't stop to question it... Like, at all." 

Ohm chanced a glance at Bryce, who began to look horrified. "You... What? What did you do?"

Ohm took a deep breath. "Bryce, the only reason we're all alive right now is because I made a deal with that monster. I made a deal with him to start over. To bring you three back safe and sound and to just focus on me. Sure, he's going after you guys too, but I'm... I'm his main target. If he catches me, then he fucking wins but I'm not fucking quitting until I'm dead or until you three are out of here."

Bryce was dead silent, staring at Ohm like he was the biggest idiot alive. "Ryan-- What the hell?!" He glared dangerously at the man. "You could have left! You could have been alive-- and not stuck here for two months-- Why...? Why would you do that?! How does this take up a whole two months?! I don't get it!"

"...Because..." Ohm pulled his knees back to his chest, wrapping arms around himself as he stared at the dusty floor below them. 

"... Because you guys died again. Over and over again, you guys just... kept on dying."

* * *

  
Bryce was, to say the least, horrified by Ohm's words. He had died in this house before, more than once, if Ohm's words were true. He, Vanoss and Delirious all knew Ohm before this, and what seemed to be an innocent sleepover at an abandoned house ended with them dealing with some sort of demonic entity and it ended with the three of them dying, and Ohm making some sort of deal with said demon. 

"When I made the first deal, it was going so well. Evan made it further that time, and I made sure to keep him safe. But the creature began to focus on me and cornered all of us." Ohm's voice cracked loudly. "Only... only Evan and I made it out. Jonathan was protecting us and then it grabbed both him and you and I--" Ohm trailed off, eyes closing as he tried to forget.

"I.. ended up going back to the altar... Evan wouldn't continue on without you two and I couldn't either... I went back and tried again. It was the second time going back, and then there was a third time and a fourth time--" 

Bryce couldn't take it anymore. 

Ohm was falling apart right in front of him and for good reason. Sitting here was a boy who treasured his friends more than his own life, a boy who lost three of his friends tragically because of a demonic mansion and its inhabitant, a boy who literally made a deal with the devil to bring them back in an attempt to get them out of there... 

A boy who has been in a continuous cycle of watching his friends die repeatedly for two whole months, watching as each time they came back, they forgot who he was and whenever they seemed to remember or get close to him, he had to watch as they died for him all over again.

Sitting here was a boy who was slowly killing himself mentally over these events, and hasn't been able to share a bit of it with anyone up until this point.

Bryce nearly tackled Ohm to the floor in a tight embrace, giving him the comfort that Ohm most desperately needed at this point. It shocked the other, and took him a bit to respond but arms hesitantly hugged Bryce back. Bryce took note of the wetness that slipped onto his neck.

"I know it doesn't mean anything after failing so many times..." Bryce spoke with a soft whisper into Ohm's ear, "...but I'm gonna help get everyone out of here. We have to talk to Vanoss and Delirious about this and they'll say the same thing."

Ohm's breathing hitched as he began to protest but Bryce immediately hushed him. "The problem is that you're trying to carry this problem all by yourself. We're all trying to carry this problem individually when we could be smart and try and plan this out. You know this creature by now, you know the house lay out by now. You have the advantage so if we talk about it, we can plan it out and get you out of here alive. All of us out of here alive." 

Ohm didn't answer, and Bryce didn't really expect him to. There was no fighting with Ohm as he silently accepted Bryce's help, at least Bryce assumed that's what the silence meant. He sat there and held the crying form tightly and even though he couldn't remember their friendship in the slightest, Bryce couldn't help but think back to the first time he saw Ohm and felt that interest when he laid eyes on the man in the bunny hood.

He wondered what their relationship was like before the memory loss?

Bryce considered asking, but at the moment, Ohm was in such a vulnerable state that bringing it up seemed like a bad idea. Instead, he sat there silently, running a hand through the other's brown hair before gently pulling him away. He reached over and grabbed for the cellphone and quietly slipped it into Ohm's hands and smiled. 

"He's cute, by the way... Buddy is. I'd like to meet him again..."

Ohm stared down at the phone in his hands, fingers gently going across the screen as his tears finally began to cease. He offered a weak smile in exchange before replying. "I... I left him with Brock... He's old but he's... he's a good boy. He really likes you..."

Bryce nodded and opened his mouth to respond...

...But then Ohm's phone began to ring loudly throughout the hallway, startling both of the boys on the floor. They both looked at each other in a panic, with Bryce worrying about the noise while Ohm tried to figure out exactly who was calling him in a house with no service. Finally, Ohm looked at the screen and nearly screamed.

"Tyler?!" 

Bryce didn't recognize the name but regardless, it was interesting news to see that someone other than the four of them was suddenly contacting them. After all, if he remembered correctly, he had heard Delirious talk about having a phone on him that didn't have service. So, it was strange that someone was able to get a hold to them when they couldn't contact anyone before. 

And the fact that Ohm knew who it was made it better, so he quickly began patting Ohm's shoulder urgently, eyes glued to the phone. "Answer it, answer it now! Hurry!" 

Ohm hesitated, staring down at the screen with such wide eyes before turning to Bryce with uncertainty. Another urge was made and then Ohm was slowly answering the phone and putting it to his ear. He spoke slowly and hesitantly, voice breaking from his earlier tears and stuffy nose. "He... Hello...?" 

Bryce listened closely and while he couldn't make out the words, muffled yelling was very much heard throughout the speaker and for a moment, Bryce was scared that Ohm's contact was mad at him and for a moment, his fears were confirmed when even more tears began to make their way down Ohm's cheeks. 

But then Ohm let out laughter between the sobbing. "G-Guys--" His grip on the phone tightened, a smile widening on his face. "Oh my God--"

Bryce couldn't help but smile softly at the relief that inched it's way into Ohm's voice. The way his exhaustion went away the moment he answered the phone, the moment he realized his friends were on the other line. He noticed how beautiful his smile was, how the corners of his eyes wrinkled from how wide his smile got, how pretty his eyes were-- He wondered if these were things that the old Bryce noticed?

"No-- No, I-- Evan's alive... He's alive-- Jonathan's alive and Bryce is here, he's--" Ohm choked on his words, shaking his head as he tried to gather his thoughts enough to make enough sense. Bryce noticed the way his body trembled, so to comfort him, he placed his hand on the other's back, rubbing him slowly. 

"I just can't-- I can't believe I'm talking to you guys--" 

Bryce's attention was suddenly pulled away from Ohm's voice. Did he hear something? 

"I thought I'd never see you guys again." 

Bryce heard breathing nearby. Heavy breathing and it wasn't his. It wasn't shaky breaths that left Ohm's lips, broken with tears and crying. It was a lot more focused than that. Ohm didn't seem to notice. 

"...You're what?" Ohm suddenly spoke up, eyes widening with worry. Bryce focused down the hall with his fist gripping onto Ohm's sweatshirt, tightly. "Wait-- why are you guys...?! Why-- Why are you--?!" Ohm's breaths suddenly turned sharp and panicked, grabbing Bryce's attention immediately.

"Ohm? Ohm, what's wrong?"

Ohm pulled the phone away from his ear, eyes wide with horror. Bryce looked down at the phone and then back up at Ohm, confused but Ohm's answer filled him with an intense anxiety that he wanted to push away immediately.

"Bryce-- Bryce, they're here. They came to find us-- They-- They're in the house..."

The nearby breathing stopped suddenly, leaving them in the silence of the house.


	21. Text

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time coming, but Chapter 21 is finally finished! And it just happens to be the longest chapter so far! There was just a lot to catch up on! Sorry if the chapter seems a bit clustered, though. Had a huge writers block with it :C - <3 Crest

Tyler didn't mind bad weather. He always enjoyed watching the rain fall down, along with listening to the distant rumbling of thunder. Most people didn't enjoy it, but in a weird way, he found it quite peaceful and he would always laugh when Craig called him weird for it. It didn't matter what Craig thought about his opinion of the weather. It calmed him down, so that's what mattered.

However, today the rain and thunder did nothing but feed his anxiety as he, Craig, Brock, Brian and Luke rode through the forest together in Brock's van, which was normally used for trips such as this. 

They were doing exactly as they planned. Marcel and Lui each stayed behind, ready to call the cops if they weren't back in a day, while the rest of the boys left for the forest to find the mysterious mansion. They each had their own blunt weapon to use, just in case someone had gotten to Evan, Jon, Ryan and Bryce and both Luke and Brian had their own gun, fully loaded and to be used for emergencies only.

If Tyler had a choice, Craig would have stayed behind, but he knew better than to voice that concern because if there was anything the couple had in common, it was the headstrong stubbornness they both had. He was sure that Brian thought the same of Brock. And even then, Tyler couldn't just tell him to stay behind. They were worried about their four friends as well, and they were angry. They wanted answers, just like they did. They were capable of taking care of themselves anyway.

_Evan could take care of himself too, though. So where is he?_ His mind reminded him. 

He tried to ignore the itching worry.

They had been driving in silence for a long while, with Luke taking turn after turn in the forest to try and find the whereabouts of the mansion. So far, there was nothing but an army of dense trees and Tyler could only think that it could be anywhere in this large and dense forest and they wouldn't ever be the wiser.

Tyler sighed and leaned back into the passenger seat, glancing over at Luke who kept his eyes on the dirt road ahead of him. His fingers drummed nervously on the wheel and his teeth chewed relentlessly on his bottom lip. He was anxious to find the mansion and scared of what he would find. They all were, really. They were just dealing with it in their own way. 

Craig talked when he got nervous. He would normally just let loose a stream of babbles out of his mouth and Tyler always found it amusing and cute. Now, it was just grating on his nerves, as he chatted up with Brock, who was just as chatty when he was nervous. Brian, on the other hand, was quiet and distant, staring out the window as he held onto Brock's hand tightly. 

Tyler couldn't help but wonder how Brock would be holding up if Brian had gone with Evan and the others. He supposed it was lucky that his mother had gotten sick and needed Brian to take care of her. The timing was near perfect, really. But he couldn't help but notice the guilt that would sometimes appear on his face when they mentioned the bet.   
He knew that Brian felt guilty for not being there when his friends had vanished but as much as Tyler appreciated the thought, he wondered if Brian being there would even make a difference. If anything, it would have upset Brock and Craig even more. Losing four friends were enough. He couldn't handle a fifth.

The rain lightened up, being replaced by a dense fog and beside him, he heard Luke curse. 

"Shit, I can't see a god damn thing with all these trees and all this damn fog!" He put his foot on the brake and slowed down significantly as he sat up in the seat to try and get a better look. 

"Shitty weather for a search and rescue..." Tyler grumbled back, copying Luke's movement to try and get a better look. "There's no way we're gonna be able to find the house like this..."

In the back seat, Craig and Brock fell silent, frowning down into their laps while Brian rolled down the window to stick his head out for a better look. The humid, wet air blew into the car and for some reason, that alone sent a chill down Tyler's spine. As they drove slowly down the road, they all grew more and more frustrated as they were met with nothing but trees and fog. 

"This is fuckin' impossible!" Brian finally complained, pulling his head back into the van in favor of flopping back into his seat. "We can't see anything with all this fuckin' fog, guys. We've been out here for two hours already--"

"So what, Brian? You wanna turn around and go home?" Tyler turned his head slightly to look back at the other. In the side of his eye, he saw Luke's face twist though he can't tell if he's upset or pondering Brian's words. 

"I mean-- I'm not saying we should give up, man, but we can't find anything out here right now. We can come back, you know..." Brian looked over everyone in the car, taking in the doubtful looks. "I know it sucks, but..."

"...Brian?" Craig cut in, voice soft as he stared hard out the window. Tyler frowned and followed his gaze, squinting to try and see through the fogged up window, the fog and the trees. "I saw something..." 

Luke slammed on brakes, pushing everyone in their seats forward (and nearly sent Brock flying into the front seats) before he looked back towards Craig and his window. Craig quickly rolled his window down and before anyone knew it, five men were crawling over their seats and hovering in front of the window to get a better look.

"Holy shit..."

"That's... That's gotta be it, right?"

"Do you see any other mansions around?" 

"Luke?" Tyler looked over at Luke, who slowly sat back down in his own seat. 

His hands gripped the wheel tightly. "Jon's over there, I fucking know it. We found it, so let's get our asses over there."

Tyler looked back to the window, staring at the large white mansion that stood in the distance, nearly hidden by the fog and the trees. A chill fell down his spine again as he stared at it, and he knew something about it wasn't right. 

But Evan, Jonathan, Ryan and Bryce were there and he needed answers as soon as possible. And no fucking murderer was going to stop him, no matter what.

* * *

  
The first thing everyone noticed upon pulling up into the yard of the mansion was the dark purple car that sat in the middle of the lawn. Luke and Craig immediately called out that it belonged to Bryce and that was all Tyler needed to know before climbing out of Luke's vehicle in favor of running over and peeking inside of the van. 

It was covered in leaves and dust, like it hadn't been touched since they were pronounced missing. That thought alone was enough to make Tyler sweat nervously. But, at the very least, they now knew that the boys were here. He glanced up at the house with a small glare.

"They're here, right?" Brian suddenly piped up, heading for the door. "Let's go fucking find them then, or kick the mansion's homeowner's ass!" 

Before he could even hope to reach the door, however, Brock's stern voice stopped him in his tracks. "Now hold on, Brian. We can't just go barging in there." Brock watched as Brian turned around with a disappointed look and sighed. "Guys, actually, before we do anything, I think we need to take a moment and maybe... Um... discuss the elephant in the room, so to speak." 

Tyler and Luke both looked over at the other, confused looks on their faces while Craig immediately nodded in agreement, eyes not leaving the grassy ground beneath him.

Brian was the only one who stepped forward to speak. "What elephant? We don't have an elephant to discuss Brock, let's just go--"

"Yes, we do have one. We're discussing the elephant, Brian!" Brock began to argue back and Tyler considered stepping up to stop the fight before it started but thankfully, Craig beat him to the punch.

"You mean about what we're gonna do if we find something we don't wanna find... right?" Craig's eyes darted between Tyler, Brian and Luke in worry. 

Ah. That elephant.

"...Yeah." Brock's face fell. "Exactly. Guys, let's assume here. We know the guys are here. And, as much as I hate to say it... Let's... Let's assume that the person living here is some murderer or something. We can't just barge in through the front door of his house. If we assume that this guy is a murderer, then we know that he had to have taken out the guys and... Well, one of those guys is a hockey player. That's not someone who's easy to take out, you know." 

Brian opened his mouth to speak, but once he seemed to think about it, his mouth closed slowly as he realized that going through the front wasn't a good idea at all. Everyone went quiet as the thought of their friends possible demise loomed over them all. 

Tyler thought over the possibilities. Worst case scenario, the person inside was a murderer and his friends were dead. The thought alone filled Tyler with a rage that couldn't be calmed until that fucker's blood was on his hands. He clenched his fist tightly and took a deep breath as he tried to think of the best case scenario. They could be alive in there. Maybe being held prisoner, but they could be alive. 

They could be trying to escape right now, and they could need help. They would never know until they saw for themselves. 

"Brock, if this is you suggesting that we should turn back, then no thanks." Tyler suddenly responded, earning all eyes on him. "I'm going through the back door, no one fucking expects that. This place is huge anyway, so I'm sure it won't matter."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I'm coming with you." Luke agreed, a small smirk appearing on his face before he turned to the other three. "I'm not gonna force you guys to go in there though."

"Yeah, it's totally up to you three about whether you wanna go and face a potentially dangerous man." Tyler looked between Brock, Brian and finally Craig, face softening as the other stared back in worry.

Brock and Brian both fell silent as they looked towards each other. For a moment, there seemed to be a bit of silent communication between the two before Brian offered a sheepish smile towards the other.

"I'll go if you go?"

Brock gave out a weak laugh. "Someone has to make sure you guys don't kick the bucket..."

So that left just Craig...

Tyler looked back at Craig, who seemed to be chewing his lip nervously. He wrung his wrists repeatedly, and clenched and unclenched his fists as his eyes darted between the mansion and back to Tyler. That alone confirmed that Craig would-- should stay behind. Hell, if anything, he could go and get the cops and bring them back. He didn't have to go inside.

Those thoughts were immediately tossed out the window when a determined look crossed Craig's face. "Fuck it. Let's go fucking throw some hands, boys!" As he moved towards the back of the house, Tyler took a moment to try and shake off the concern that hit him.

Yeah, it didn't work. "Hey-- Hold on a second, Craig." Craig stopped, blinking up at Tyler with a confused look on his face. "Are you sure you want to? You don't have to go, you know."

Craig's face twisted slightly. "Does anyone ever want to go into a creepy mansion that may have someone dangerous living in it?" Before Tyler could even answer, Craig continued. "No, they don't. But the fact that I've been spending two months wondering where the fuck my four friends are, and the fact that we found their car here and now my boyfriend and three other friends are going inside to try and find the other four friends--" He makes a wild gesture with his hand before shrugging. "--That kinda gives you enough courage to go into the house to make sure people stay alive."

Tyler stared hard at Craig, taking in the worried expression clear on his face. The last two months had changed them all drastically and as he examined Craig's face, it was becoming more apparent now than ever. They were both tired, exhausted even with bags evident under their eyes. Craig, for a bit, stopped eating and kept trying to shrug it off by saying he had snacked on something earlier.

It took Tyler about two days to call him out on his bullshit. After that, he had to make sure Craig was feeding himself enough. Meanwhile, Craig took it upon himself to make sure Tyler got enough sleep, since the man tended to stay up most of the night with the guilt and worry eating him alive. 

He stole a glance towards Brock and Brian, noting how Brock watched everyone with overprotective stare. One that had gotten more careful and calculating than before, as if he tried to think over each and every consequence for their future actions as if it were his fault for not thinking of this possibility. It was weighing down on him, surely.

Brian seemed to have that overwhelming guilt on his chest as well. After all, for someone who was supposed to be there with the four missing friends, he seemed to feel like he should have been there. That maybe, he alone, could have prevented it. Tyler told him that the fact that he thinks he could have prevented this was fucking stupid, not to be mean, but as a wake up call, really. They should all be thankful that Brian wasn't missing as well. Honestly, Tyler's not sure how Brock and Craig would have handled it.

And then there was Luke. Three of his best friends were currently missing, and presumed dead by most. Since their disappearance, Tyler and Luke had little to no contact with each other, due to the argument that happened just days after their disappearance. Luke seemed more quiet, now that Tyler examined him. More withdrawn, maybe? It wasn't like they hung out on a daily basis before their disappearance, so whether or not this was different was a mystery. 

Tyler looked back at Craig, who gestured that they should hurry to the back before they were caught in the front yard. He quickly nodded, and the group gathered their weapons immediately before slowly creeping into the back yard. It wasn't as well kept as the front yard, with grass growing all the way to their waists and there was a rusted fence that surrounded the back yard, but it was quite easy to sneak over the fence, with only Brock and Tyler having issues climbing over.

Aside from overgrown grass, flies flying around and the rusted fence, there was nothing worth noting in the backyard aside from the back door that was just partly open for some reason, and that didn't sit right with Tyler.

"...Why is the back door open? Why would he have that open?"

Craig frowned, bringing the metal bat he had brought closer to his chest. "Maybe... he forgot to close it?" He looked between Tyler and Luke, who both inched towards the door. 

"Or maybe he's in there." Luke suggested, putting everyone on guard. "If he is, well... I'm about to beat a man's ass."

Tyler motioned for Brock, Craig and Brian to stand back before joining Luke near the door. Crowbar in his hand and a pole in Luke's, Tyler grabbed onto the doorknob and held onto it for a moment, listening for any movement inside. When nothing was heard, he slowly pushed the door open.

There was nothing there but a room with a worn out floor and peeling wall paper. Dust covered the room as light from the open door filled the room. Tyler and Luke both took a moment to check the corners before stepping into the room, taking note of how unsteady the floor seemed. 

"Seems like there's a basement or something below this floor. The flooring's gonna give out soon." Luke pointed out, motioning for Tyler to move towards the walls before turning to the three outside. "Come on in, but stay close to the walls. The floor looks like it's gonna give out." 

Tyler and Luke quickly moved towards the wall, and while Luke headed for the other door that likely lead to the hallways, Tyler lagged behind to wait for Craig and the others. Upon seeing the horrible shape that the room was in, Craig swallowed hard and was quick to grab onto Tyler's hand, who squeezed back in reassurance. Nearby, Brock brought out his phone's flashlight and moved ahead of Tyler and Craig to catch up with Luke to give him the light he needed. 

It wasn't until Luke walked out into the hallway when his phone starting dinging to tell him he was getting text messages. Tyler flinched and realized that maybe they ought to turn their phones down. Craig beat him to the punch, however. 

"Luke, turn that shit down! It's gonna get us caught!" He whispered in a stern tone as Luke scrambled to pull his phone out. 

Luke stared at the screen, freezing for a moment, mouth open like he was going to speak but nothing came out. Tyler raised an eyebrow, wondering what was wrong as he fished out his own phone to put it on silent. Suddenly, his own phone dinged and he was left staring at the notification on his screen.

_**Message from Ryan received at 6:34 PM.** _

His heart jumped into his throat.

* * *

  
Jonathan texted him. Fucking Jonathan texted him.

Luke couldn't stop staring at the phone and he's unsure if it was the best news or the worst news he had gotten in his life. His finger hovered over the screen, unsure on whether or not he wanted to swipe at the screen to open the message up. From behind him, he could hear Brock give a sharp intake of breath as he read the name over Luke's shoulder.

"Jonathan--" He gasped, stepping back slightly to look over at the others. Brian was quick to hurry into the hallway to join Brock's side, only to peek over Luke's shoulder at the messages. 

"Holy shit-- That's from Jon?" He blinked, directing the question towards Luke. 

Luke couldn't answer.

"...I just... I just got a message from Ryan." Tyler spoke up from behind him as he and Craig slowly entered the hallway. Luke glanced back at Tyler, eyes wide before directing his gaze towards his phone again. Tyler did the same as he looked over the messages. "I don't... I don't understand. They're really weird."

"What do they say...?" Brian asked the question cautiously, slightly pale to the face. 

"They're trying... to call for help, I think?" Tyler frowned in concern as he scrolled through the messages. Since all eyes were on him, he took a deep breath and read the message slowly. " _'Everything's going wrong. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I want to come home. I miss you guys.'_ "

Everyone went silent, each looking around in fear as they tried to understand what Ryan was talking about. What had gone wrong? What happened? Why was Ryan so sorry?

Finally, all eyes landed on Luke and his phone. 

"...What did Jon say?" Craig finally asked, voice cracking slightly. 

"...I haven't... Haven't read it yet." 

"Hurry up and fucking read it then!" Tyler's harsh voice spoke impatiently, breaking Luke out of his small trance. "They could still be alive! We could find them!"

"Do you need one of us to read it instead?" Brock stepped up, voice calm and careful as he placed a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder. "I know you might be scared of what you're gonna read. Maybe me or Brian can read it...?"

"No, no, I..." Luke trailed off, pulling away from Brock but making sure to give him a small appreciative glance before swiping his finger across the screen. "I'll read it, I fucking wanna be the one to read it."

His eyes scanned over the messages.

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] we'RE AT THE SPOOKY HOUSE IM SO EXCITED AKDJDAS stay tuned bc imma scare the s h it out of the bae in here. imma send you a video of it bc its gonna be GREAT. >:D** _   
  
_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] OK so no singal here. maybe i can find a signal on the top floor idk but you'll get these messages one day is2fg one day i swEAR ON MY LIFE!!!!! >:CCC** _

He couldn't help but grin lightly at Jonathan's excitement. He was always so full of energy, always running around and shouting his lungs out like the world depended on it. Even in text form, it still made Luke a little less lonely. It made him feel like Jonathan was sitting right there next to him. Still, it seemed strange that there was no service in the mansion. A little too coincidental for his liking.

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] Dud eosmething is here and evans hrut and it chased us and i dont know what to do i wish there was a fucking sigNAL SO YOU COULD CALL THE FUCKING COPS** _

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] none of these fu ck ing messages are fuycking sending and i dont??? know what to do, i'm freaking out and i lost evan and everyone else what do i do i wish you were here but also not???** _

Luke bit his lip in worry. Considering the fact that there wasn't any service, the messages all must not have sent right away. He shook his head as he realized that these messages must have been sent two months ago, but even that was insane. What text message keeps pending for two months?!  

"This is crazy..." Luke started, wanting to relay what he read so far. "I think these messages were sent when he first got here... Same could be said about Ryan's message... He mentioned something chasing them and... and hurting Evan," He paused as he watched Tyler's fist flinch and Brock's face fall. "... and it looks like Jonathan got seperated from everyone..." 

"What else did he say?!" Tyler demanded to know, quickly being shushed by Craig and Brock. 

"Are there any more messages, Luke?" Brock eyed the phone in Luke's hand. 

"...Yeah." Luke scrolled to the next one and suddenly, he wanted to throw up as part of his world began to tear apart.

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] evans dead. i. dont feel good.** _

...

Evan was dead?

His entire body grew cold and grew tense as the words echoed into his brain, growing louder and louder each time. Brock, Brian, Craig and Tyler stared him down with wide and concerned eyes as Luke suddenly dropped his phone onto the floor and stepped away from it. Brock was the one to pick it back up and read over the messages, and his soft gasp was all he heard.

"Evan's... Evan's dead?" Brock whimpered, looking back at Luke for confirmation. 

Luke didn't have the chance to answer before Tyler let out an angry shriek of disbelief. "WHAT?! No, that's not-- Fuck you guys, that's not fucking funny!!" He snatched the phone from Brock's hand and read over the message himself before shoving it into Brian's hands. "NO, he's fucking NOT. He CAN'T be!"

Behind them, Luke heard a soft sob leave Craig's throat as Brian whispered obscenities under his breath. Tyler moved away from the group in favor of kicking a nearby wall in anger and Brock just stepped away to get control of his breathing. It wasn't right, none of this was right. Who the fuck would do this?

Luke wasn't accepting this. He couldn't accept this as the truth, so he quickly turned around and snatched the phone away from Brian, quickly typing his replies to his friend, hoping to every God that he was still alive to receive them. 

"What are you doing?" Brian frowned, running both hands through his hair to try and calm himself down. "Do you really think he's going to reply?"

"He fucking better or I'm burning this entire fucking mansion to the fucking ground." Luke growled out through gritted teeth as he sent the last message. 

"I'll fucking help you with that. The fucker that did this isn't leaving this fucking place alive!" Tyler marched back over, declaring the statement with fire in his eyes. It was obvious that right now, the two wanted Evan's murderer's blood on their hands. 

"Guys, it's been two months, though!" Brian tried to reason with them. "I... don't want to suggest that Jonathan's dead too, but even if he were alive, I highly doubt he could've found a phone charger in that time! His phone is probably long dead by now!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Luke snapped out. "It's worth the try. If we don't get an answer in five minutes, then we're searching the fucking house, top from bottom. And we're shooting whoever tries to fucking stop us!"

Brock took another deep breath and tried to step in to stop this. "Luke... Tyler, you're both not thinking rationally here... We... We have to go get the police! We have to show them the text messages and bring them back here. "

"Yeah, Brock is right." Brian quickly agreed, holding his hand up towards Luke and Tyler. "Listen, I want this fucker dead as much as you two. I'd love to kill him. But... I don't think we're in shape to find this guy and fuck him up! Emotionally, anyway." 

As if to prove his point, Craig's sobs filled the hallway, causing the four of them to look over at the form who sat curled up against one of the walls. That alone seemed to forcefully drag Tyler out of his rage, if even for a moment as he hurriedly walked over to kneel down before the man to pull him into a much needed embrace, trying to hush him while running his hand down his back. 

Brock suddenly took a deep breath, handed Luke his phone back and stepped away from the group and Brian didn't hesitate to follow, trying to see if this other was okay. This left Luke standing there, with nothing to do but stare down at the messages he had sent, wondering if Jonathan was still alive and would be able to see them. 

If he could have just one miracle, it would be that.

His heart nearly skipped a beat when the phone let out a few short beeps, to signal incoming messages. He looked back at Brock and Brian, noticing that they were in their own world at the moment, just trying to take a moment to calm themselves but a quick look at Tyler and Craig made it obvious that the two had heard the phone go off, and they were now sitting on the ground with wide eyes. 

Luke looked at the name on the phone and nearly felt his heart stop. "...Jon replied." He gasped out, opening the messages he had received. 

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] luke oh my ofg d oh my god okay listen** _

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] If you geet these, im alive were all still alive. ryan, evan and bryce ar e still alive.** _

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] do NOT come into this fuck ing house, i swear to fucking god i'll kill you myself.** _

_**Pain in my ass <3 [Received] we're alive and we're tgrying to get out of here, just please dont come in here** _

What he read was enough to kick himself into gear as he clicked on the dial button and shoved the phone to his ear. Tyler frowned, climbing to his feet but before he could speak, Luke pointed at his phone and glared, growling out his next words carefully. "Take your phone, right now, and call Ryan and find out what the FUCK is going on."

"What--?!"

"I SAID call Ryan. See if he's still alive. Jonathan just told me that Evan was still alive but until I hear it from him, I'm not gonna be satisfied." He turned away from Tyler to focus on the ringing through his phone. "Call him, NOW." 

Tyler and Craig both exchanged confused glances but immediately stepped away from Luke to do as they were told. In the corner of his eye, he noticed how Brock and Brian both stopped to stare him down with worried expressions. But none of that mattered when the ringing stopped and a familiar voice spoke through the speaker. 

_"Luke!"_

He wanted to cry. As sappy as it sounded, there was nothing better than hearing the slurred voice of his best friend. For the first time in a while, he genuinely smiled and gave a broken laugh into the speaker. "Jonathan... Oh my God, it really is you..."

Jonathan's laugh echoed through the speakers, sounding more tired than usual but the smile was still there. Luke could tell. He could always tell. _"Yes, It is-- It's me, it's me, Luke. Oh my God, I just... I can't believe I'm talking to you. How did you get a hold of me?! I could never get this fucking phone to work! Like, ever!"_

"Forget that, Jonathan, what the fuck is going on? What happened to you?! It's been two months!" Luke looked back at Brock and Brian, taking delight in their wide smiles of relief as he talked to Jonathan over the phone. "Why'd you say that Evan was dead but then that he was alive? What's happening?!"

_"Two months...? FUCK, has it really been two months?"_ Jonathan yelled out before taking a deep breath. _"Look, Luke, you wouldn't believe me... It's too fucking crazy-- Even I don't know what's going on! I just started remembering things!"_

"What? Just started remembering? What the fuck-- Jon, you're not making sense. Where's Evan? And Ryan and Bryce?! Are they with you?"

Jonathan's voice grew more exasperated. _"I KNOW. Nothing is making sense! Evan's with me and Bryce and Ryan are-- Evan, you said they went outside the room right?"_ Jonathan paused and Luke heard Evan's voice muffled in the background. Oh thank God... _"Just-- Fucking call the police and get them over here! Hurry!"_

"Jon, the police are fucking useless. It's been two months and they fucking gave up on you guys. And now that I know you fuckers are in here and you're ALIVE, then FUCK you, I'm not leaving!" Luke declared in a matter of factly tone that made Jonathan go dead silent. 

_"...Here? Not leaving?"_ Jonathan dropped the police subject and continued to speak in a soft and careful manner. _"...Luke, please. Please tell me you're not here. Please tell me you're not in the mansion right now..."_

Jonathan sounded broken. He sounded afraid out of his mind and Luke couldn't help but feel guilty about his next words. "...Yeah. We're here. Me, Tyler, Craig, Brock and Brian are here." 

Jonathan gasped and for a long moment, he didn't say a word. If Luke listened closely, he could hear Evan in the background, pestering Jonathan to tell him what was wrong and why he looked so pale and Luke couldn't help but wonder if he had made some mistake. But finally, Jon answered in a tone that he had never heard from Jonathan before. A tone too serious for his friend.

_"Luke, I am not fucking around. Tell me, right now, where you are."_

* * *

  
Tyler and Craig stepped away from the other three to focus purely on the phone call to Ryan. He made sure to put it on speaker for both him and Craig to hear and as he listened to the constant ringing of the phone, he tried to make sense of what was going on. 

Jon's text messages said that Evan was dead. Was he wrong? How could you possibly be wrong about someone dying? Why did Jon's messages do a complete 180? What the fuck was going on? 

A soft voice on the other side of the line forced him from his thoughts, and Tyler thought about how he has never been so happy to hear Ryan's voice. _"He...Hello...?"_

Craig and Tyler both let out loud sighs of relief, and Craig immediately had tears fall from his cheeks once more, this time out of relief. "Ryan-- Oh my God, you're alive!" He cried out, clinging onto Tyler's arm in happiness.

"Holy fucking shit-- I was starting to doubt that we were gonna get a hold to you! What took you so damn long to answer the fucking phone, Jesus..." Tyler tried to sound mad, he tried so far but the smile was so evident in his voice. He couldn't stop beaming.

On the other side of the line, quiet sobs were heard, mixed in with laughter and it only succeeded in making Craig cry harder, and even Tyler felt a little choked up. _"G--Guys... Oh my God--"_

Tyler sniffed and rubbed at his face, expression falling slightly. "Ryan, what the fuck happened to you guys? We got a text from Jon saying that Evan was dead, but... Fuck, man, what the fuck happened to you guys?" 

_"No-- No, I-- Evan's alive... He's alive-- Jonathan's alive and Bryce is here, he's--"_ Ryan was obviously having problems keeping calm, Tyler realized. Craig laughed and cried at how happy Ryan seemed to finally hear their voices after two months. _"I just can't-- I can't believe I'm talking to you guys--"_

"We can't believe it either... We thought..." Craig's wavering voice trailed off, as if the worst was still a possibility. "We thought you guys were dead-- We were so worried..."

_"I thought I'd never see you guys again."_ Ryan whispered from the other line, admitting what he had likely feared from the very beginning. 

"Same here, but we're here now. Tell us where the fuck you are." Tyler spoke clearly into the phone, throwing a careless arm over Craig's shoulders as he grinned at the phone. "Luke, Brian and Brock are here too, and we're gonna come save you. Do you know where you are? We're already inside. We just need to know where to go from here."

_"...You're what?"_ Ohm spoke suddenly with a gasp, as if all breath suddenly left his body in an instant. _"Wait-- why are you guys...?! Why-- Why are you--?!"_ Tyler and Craig both frowned when the phone seemed to be pulled away from Ryan and for a moment, they were both afraid that maybe their kidnapper had taken the phone away but relief settled momentarily when they heard the muffled voice of Bryce in the background. 

The two were muffled for a good while, leaving Tyler and Craig in silence for a while. Why did it suddenly feel like it was getting colder in the hallway? Tyler glanced around, trying to keep an eye on the rest of the group as he waited for Ryan to calm down and explain what was wrong. Finally, the older began stammering into the phone again.

_"Tyler-- Tyler, you have to leave! Take everyone and get out, right now!"_ He screamed out, voice breaking slightly. _"Please, I'm fucking begging you. Get the fuck out of here, it's not safe! It's gonna come for you!"_

"What? It? What 'It'? What's going on?" Tyler frowned towards Craig, who shrugged in response. 

_"It's a long story--"_

"Fuck you, we have time. Explain. Now." 

* * *

  
"Brock, are you okay...?" Brian reached over and ran a gentle hand down one of Brock's shaking arms before finally stopping at his hand. He was quick to entwine their fingers and squeeze in an effort to calm the other down, but it didn't seem to have much effect. 

Brock's eyes darted from Luke and then to Tyler and Craig, before finally looking back at Brian with wide and concerned eyes, still wet from the earlier scare with Evan. "I... I should be fine, right? It sounds like everyone's alive and somewhat okay. So I should be fine, right?" 

Brock leaned against one of the many doors in the hallway and stared down at his feet as he picked at a loose string on his shirt. Brian watched him for a moment, refusing to let go of his other hand and copied his stance, leaning against the wall next to the door. "I mean... not necessarily. A lot is happening at once here. You just went from _'Hey, my friends are missing.'_ to _'Hey, my friend is dead.'_ to _'Hey, my friend isn't dead after all!'_ in a span of ten fucking minutes! Anyone would be shook up from this."

Brian took note of how Brock's body shook even more from that and he couldn't help but wonder if he was handling this in a totally wrong way. Brock huffed out an unsure laugh and smiled sweetly at Brian, who couldn't help but smile back slightly. "It's... not that, I don't think. Maybe it's a little bit that, but..." Brock paused, going over the words carefully in his head before continuing. "Something isn't right. I don't know what it is, but there's something strange here, I know it." 

Brian blinked. "What? What do you mean? Is this that intuition thing you're always talking about?" 

"I guess? I just have a lot of questions, and I'm sure the guys can explain them when we meet up with them but..." Brock ran a hand over his face in one stressed motion. Brian frowned and grabbed the free hand and held it close, a quick gesture to let Brock know that his attention and ears were completely on him. "It's been two months. Someone's definitely been keeping them here. They're definitely afraid of whoever it is, judging by Jon's texts, but its been two months and they still have functioning phones and then Evan was dead and then alive, and it just doesn't make sense. And now, I'm getting this really weird feeling of being watched, and I just don't like it."

Brian squeezed Brock's hands in response. "Those are really understandable concerns, Brocky. And we're in the middle of a weird mansion that our friends went missing in. Of course you'd feel like we're being watched. Plus, this fucking place feels like it's gonna fall down any minute, and if anything, that's what's making me nervous."

"Hah, it's funny... When the guys showed up here, I sent each of them a text to be careful because no one knew how bad the structure of the mansion would be..." Brock giggled weakly, leaning forward to lay his head on Brian's shoulder. "We just have to be careful... Please be careful?"

"Mm-hm, always." Brian pulled Brock away, smirking down at him. Then, he reached for his belt and pulled the gun holster off of his own belt and quietly offered it to Brock, who could only eye it in surprise. "Here, hold onto this. Put it on your belt if you need to."

"What? Now hold on, Brian--" Brock began to protest, pushing the holstered gun away, but Brian persisted. 

"Hold onto it, Brock. Just in case this whole thing turns shitty. Use it to protect yourself, please?" Brian pleaded with Brock, pushing the gun towards the other once more. "Do it to make me feel better, at least?" 

"That's not fair..." Brock sighed, looking back at Luke, Tyler and Craig once more before finally taking the gun into his hands. He looked down at his own belt, and with some help from Brian, it was secured tightly onto his waist. "I'll keep the gun, but under the condition that you stay by me, okay?"

Brian could only smirk. "I have no problems doing that, baby~"

Brock would have replied with a snarky response, but Tyler's shouting suddenly filled the hall, gaining everyone's attention. 

"What the fuck do you mean a demon?!" Tyler growled at the phone, as Craig turned to stare back at Luke, Brock and Brian with a confused gaze. "Ryan, you're scared out of your mind, man, there's no such thing as--"

_"NO, Tyler, it's REAL. We've all seen it! I know what it can do! That's why I'm telling you that you need to leave!"_

"We-- We're not leaving you guys here alone!" Craig spoke into the phone, voice rising in concern. "No, we're coming to get you and that's final!"

Brian slipped away from Brock's grasp and walked towards the others to be more involved into the conversation. Brock started to follow his example, pushing away from the door he leaned against. 

He didn't notice it open every so slightly. 

_"God fucking dammit, just listen to me! It's after us! It's after ME. You don't know what I've been through to try and get Evan, Jon and Bryce out of here! It shouldn't know that you're here yet, so you have to go, NOW."_

"Okay, I'm about to hang up on him." Tyler declared, looking between Craig and Brian. "You hear me, Ryan, I'm going to hang up on your dumb ass!" 

"Oh my God, Tyler, give me the phone." Craig sighed, snatching the phone from Tyler's grasp. "Ryan, we came in through the back door and we're in the hallway next to it. Grab Bryce, Jonathan and Evan and fucking high tail it here. Because we've made our decision. We're NOT leaving without you."

_"... Alright-- Alright, I just... Please. Please, oh my God, please be careful, I just--"_

A small gust of warm air hit Brock from behind. He froze, holding his breath for a moment before another gust of warm, foul smelling air rushed past him. He placed a slow hand onto the gun on his waist, and turned towards the door. 

Before he could react to what he saw, a large strong hand suddenly grabbed onto his leg and yanked his legs out from under him, making him fall to the ground with a loud thump. Everyone whipped around to see what had happened. 

"Brock?!" Brian was the first to react, breaking out into a sprint towards the man on the floor, reaching out for his hand. 

"HELP--" Brock barely had enough time to scream before he was pulled into the dark room by the unknown being, with the door slamming behind him. In the darkness, as he blindly reached for the gun on his side all he could hear was the sound of something breathing heavily, and the sounds of Brian screaming as he and the others tried to break down the door that separated them.

Brock pulled out the gun and began to shoot blindly.


	22. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make this chapter a little longer but I figured that it was already enough of a mess as is ^^; I got big things planned for future chapters though! 
> 
> (I hope that this chapter isn't TOO scattered though. I felt it was too chaotic as I was writing it but... Idk Lemme know what you think!) - <3 Crest

Red is all he can see, and he can't stop himself from noticing how deep the bite was. His hands grasped at the wound in a panic, tearing at the clothing that hide the torn shoulder. Tears stung at his eyes as he slowly lost control of his breathing. 

Oh God... No... No, no, no...

_**The door had closed behind him, leaving him in the pure darkness, alone with his assailant. He's not sure what grabbed him, but the hand wrapped tightly around his ankle was too large, too great to be normal. Heavy breaths filled the air, deep and excited as a foul smell filled the room. The grip on his ankle tightens and he feels himself being pulled again.** _

_**He panics and grabs for the gun attached to his belt. He doesn't have enough time for rational thought before he's emptying the clip in the direction of the heavy breathing.** _

Hands gripped onto his shoulders and shook him roughly but it's not enough. He can't look away from the red... So much red... The flashlight beam only makes it worse and he wants to scream. Instead, another voice screams at him, trying to snap him out of it. 

"Brock, come on! We have to go! BROCK!"

_**There's an inhuman scream and the hand snatches away from him as if it were burned. Brock doesn't let off of the trigger until the entire clip is emptied and then he tosses it to the side before clumsily grabbing for the phone in his pocket. Just a few swipes of the finger and he was able to turn on the flashlight, and when he does, he screams.** _

_**He hears the door behind him crack loudly as Brian, Luke and Tyler try to knock the door down to get to him, voices growing frantic once they hear his scream of terror, but Brock can't do or say a thing. Instead, he's left watching the giant beast in front of him, currently on it's knees as it clings to it's face in pain, where Brock presumably shot him seconds ago.** _

_**When he thinks he's safe, however, the beast suddenly lashes out and with one deafening shriek, it dives at Brock, mouth open with it's sharp teeth clearly in view. Brock falls to his knees and brings his arms up for protection right as the door next to him breaks open.** _

_**The strike never hits, and for a moment, Brock thinks he's safe. But when he opens his eyes, and sees a figure standing in front of him, blood dripping down his body as teeth dig deep into the arm and shoulder of his rescuer, Brock let's out a loud cry of despair as he realized what had just happened.** _

_**"NO!!!!"** _

* * *

 

Brian nearly lost his mind when Brock was suddenly dragged into a room by his feet by an unknown force, only for the door to slam shut and lock into place immediately afterwards. The following gunshots didn't help either and before he knew it, he, Luke and Tyler were each ramming their shoulders against the wooden door to try and knock it open as soon as possible.

Brock was in there, alone, with whatever snatched him away and judging by the gunshots and the screaming, whatever was in there was NOT friendly and that pushed Brian well past the point of panic. He was frantic. The person-- or thing? Whatever it was that had been terrorizing Ryan, Evan, Jon and Bryce for two months had Brock at this very second and he wanted nothing more than to get him back but it was damn near impossible since the _fucking door was refusing to open, why wasn't it opening--!!?_

"BROCK!" Brian screamed out again, hearing the door crack under their constant assault and he just as quickly turns to Tyler and Luke. "Keep going, hurry!!"

"We fucking KNOW!" Tyler shot back, leaning back to give one final push. "All at once, we're about to bust this fucking thing down! Three, two, one--!"

With the instruction, the three gave one final slam to the door, before it broke from it's frame and sent the three tumbling to the floor with a loud grunt. But still, Brian did not hesitate. He pushed himself to his feet as quick as reflex would allow and without a second thought, he's pushing himself between Brock and the threat. 

The pain that follows is almost unbearable. 

As sharp teeth bit into his arm, tearing flesh and likely fracturing (if not breaking) bone, he let out a pained scream as he stared into the dark, void like eyes of the creature that Ryan was trying to convince them about over the phone moments ago. Well, he knew that he believed Ryan now, that much was for sure.

He heard Luke and Tyler hurry back up to their feet, followed by Craig entering the room and screaming in fright. He nearly whimpered in pain, trying to push the creature back and away from Brock and the others, but it loosened it's grip on his arm just slightly. For a moment, he thought the creature was going to back off but suddenly, it deepened it's bite by going past the arm and biting deep into his shoulder, leaving him throbbing in pain as he just as quickly starts losing blood. 

He was left lightheaded and weak and behind him, he maybe heard Brock scream out for him but now he's too dizzy and he's maybe regretting not having a better plan than playing the sacrifice but hopefully in the end, it would be worth it. Brock was safe, which was what he wanted from the very beginning...

Another gunshot was heard and with another cry from the creature, Brian is mercifully dropped to the floor as a bullet connected with the creature's head. Brian was in too much pain to even attempt to stay on his feet, and much to his distaste, his knees buckled and then he's on the floor, weakly grasping at the wounded shoulder. 

Brock is the first to grab at him, hands frantically grabbing at the torn skin with teary eyes and quivering lips. Brian wants to tell him that he was fine. That the bite was nothing but as Brock tried to pick him up, the pain intensified and Brian found himself with no strength to utter a single word and instead moans in pain.

Craig came into view as he fell to his knees next to them, face flooded with worry as he gripped onto Brian's hand. "Oh my God-- _Brian, what were you thinking_?!" He cried out, face wet with old and fresh tears. " _Why would you do that, you fucking idiot!"_

Nearby, Luke unloaded the gun into creature and when one stray bullet shot into the creature's eye, it fell backwards with a loud shriek that nearly busted their ears. The wooden floor below the creature began to crack under the weight of the beast, threatening to fall to the basement below and that's when Luke, Tyler and Craig snapped into action. 

Craig immediately grabbed onto Brock, shaking him slightly in an attempt to get him to his feet and out of the room before the entire floor collapsed, taking all of them with it. "Brock, come on! We have to go!" He shakes the other's shoulders but the other doesn't respond. Instead, he stares down at the wounded man in his lap, who's struggling to keep conscious and it stabs at Craig's heart. "BROCK!"

"Brock, fucking snap out of it!" Tyler's voice snapped out as both he and Luke grabbed for Brian, each carefully lifting him up from Brock's arms. Behind them all, the creature stirred, attempting to climb to it's feet while making the floor groan and crack more. Finally, Craig grabbed both of Brock's bloodstained hands and yanked him to his feet, before pushing him out of the room entirely.

Brock stumbled down to his knees onto the wooden floor of the hallway and Craig hurried after him, helping the other back to his feet before quickly turning to help Tyler and Luke carry Brian out of the room. Behind them, they saw as the creature regained it's footing and Craig almost screamed for them to watch out, but one step from the creature was enough to make the floor give in. 

Unfortunately too much of the floor. 

The monster fell to the darkness below with a loud crash, and Craig and Brock watched in horror as the floor underneath Tyler's and Luke's feet began to break.

"TYLER! LUKE, OH MY GOD--" 

"BRIAN!"

In the midst of Craig's and Brock's screams, in the split second before the floor fell away, many thoughts raced through Luke's mind. They only had a split second to make a move and if Brian fell, there was no way for the man to survive. If the fall didn't finish him off, then the creature would. So, with that split second decision, he threw Brian at Craig and Brock with all of his strength. Brian let out a pained cry as he hit the ground, only for Brock to scramble for him.

In that split second, both he and Tyler dived for the door as the floor beneath them crumbled away. 

"SHIT--"

"FUCK! CRAIG--"

Luke barely made it, holding onto the edge of the floor as tight as possible as he dangled off the edge and that's when he realized that, for whatever reason, the basement below was deep. Really deep. He was thankful that he managed to save himself. 

It was only a moment later, when he heard a scream leave Craig's mouth that he realized that something happened. 

He stared up at Craig and Brock, watching as Brock clung to Brian, who stared up at him in a daze. Watching as Craig stared down at the hole behind him with wide and shocked eyes. Luke tried to catch his breath, wondering what was wrong, before trying to climb back into the hallway with the other three.

It was the lack of the fourth person that made Luke realized what had happened. 

"Tyler...!" Craig whimpered out, hurrying over to help Luke up before staring down into the hole. "Tyler fell! Luke, Tyler's down there!" 

Luke took a deep breath, looking back into the hole in worry before cursing loudly. "SHIT! That thing is down there too!" 

"We--We have to go down there-- We have to save him!" Craig immediately stammered out, already climbing to his feet. "That thing could kill him! He... He could be hurt...! His leg could've broke... He--"

Luke chanced a glance towards Brock and Brian, watching as Brock watched them with wide eyes of concern. He clung to Brian helplessly, who was on the brink of losing consciousness. The way Brock stared back at Luke with pleading eyes, he knew that there was no time to be fucking around. Brian was seriously injured. He needed help and fast. 

But Tyler needed help too. And there was no way he was sending Craig, of all people, down to save him. As much as he believed in the younger man, there was a chance that whatever he found down there wasn't going to be good. And the last thing Luke needed was to lose Craig too because he was too in shock to defend himself. 

Tyler was stranded with the beast, Brian was wounded, and Brock was too shaken up to speak, much less be of much help here. And even though he told Jonathan where they were, it was a toss up on whether or not they would be here soon enough. Right now, Luke and Craig were the only ones here able to be level headed enough to take charge and that's exactly what he was intending to do. 

"Craig, I'll go down and find him. I need you to get Brian some help, and fast." Luke inched towards the hole, before a hand pulled him back. 

"What?! No, I'm not leaving you guys here! What if something happens to you?! What about Ryan and the others?! The cops won't believe us! _'Hey, a giant monster is killing my friends. Help.'_ Why would they ever believe that?!" Craig argued back, earning a scowl from Luke. "Let... Let me go find Tyler, please--"

"No." Luke's answer was short, stern and simple. "I mean it, Craig. Stay with Brock. He and Brian need you more than ever right now." There was a pause filled with doubt before Luke continued. "Haven't you always considered yourself a medic when we play games?"

"GAMES. Luke. This is real fucking life!" 

"I know. Trust me, I know. That's why you two need to get Brian some help! You HAVE to go! If he dies, then it's over. There's no coming back." Luke couldn't bring himself to look at the pained expression on Craig's face and before the boy could think to stop him again, he began to climb back into the hole. "I'm going to get Tyler. Find Jon, Ryan, Bryce and Evan and we'll meet you at the hospital, okay?"

"Luke--"

Luke sighed and didn't wait for the response. Instead, he slowly began to climb deeper into the darkness below, listening hard for heavy breathing or any signs of Tyler below. When he heard nothing but Craig call out for him, he gritted his teeth and hoped that it wasn't too late.

* * *

 

Craig fell silent after a few moments, tears threatening to spill down his face. Quickly, his glasses were removed, his face was wiped with the rim of his shirt and the glasses were replaced before he looked back at Brock and Brian with a hurt expression. Brock stared back, helplessly before glancing back down at Brian, who, by some miracle, was still awake. 

"Brian..." Brock whispered out, holding him close. "Don't... Don't worry, we'll get you to the hospital soon. Craig, let's.. let's just hurry, please?"

Before Craig could answer, Brian started to shift, moving to try and sit up much to Brock's dismay. Craig quickly hurried over, holding his breath slightly as he grabbed onto Brian gently. "Hey, hey, lay back down-- We'll carry you, don't worry. Just save your energy, man...!"

Brian was just as quick to push their hands away. "Wh...Where'd Luke an' ... an' Tyler go...?" His tone was forced and his breathing was labored. He sounded _exhausted_ and it made Brock and Craig feel horrible. 

Craig glanced back towards the hole with a frown. "...Tyler fell down there with... with that thing. And Luke went after him..." He watched as Brian's mouth fell open in shock. 

"Shit-- Craig... I'm sorry..." 

"Don't apologize to me! You're... You're bleeding pretty hard. We have to get you to the hospital!" Craig quickly grabbed onto him again, only for his hand to be weakly slapped away by the Irishman. "Brian!" 

"Brian, we have to help you... This could kill you!" Brock's voice cracked in the attempt to scold his boyfriend but Brian wanted none of it. 

"No... No, we're... we're not leaving until I know everyone is safe..." He grumbled out, gripping onto his shoulder. "I'll ... I'll be fine. I just need... to wrap it up, that's all."

"That's bullshit and you fucking know it." Brock snapped back, eyes hardening. 

"We came here for a fucking reason, Brock!" Brian pushed away, somehow finding enough strength to climb to his feet. When he wobbled, nearly falling over, Craig and Brock both rushed to grab onto him. "I'm... I need bandaging and a little rest. That's all I need... I want to stay for a little longer... just until we get more people together..."

Brock and Craig both fell silent, watching as Brian stared over to them with a pleading look. Craig couldn't help but try and understand his pain. They hadn't even been here for an hour before shit had gone insane. And now Brian was hurt before they could even save the others and he realized that Brian likely felt guilty for not being with the four in the first place. After all, he lost the bet as well.

But even then, it didn't matter. He was bleeding too much. It was dangerous, they had to get him to a hospi--

"Craig?" Brock spoke up in a whisper. 

"...Yeah?" 

Brock sighed, pulling Brian closer in favor of running shaking fingers through his dark hair. "...There's a first aid kit in the car. I brought it just in case. Can you go get it please?"

Well. It seems like Brock made the decision then. Craig swallowed hard while Brian's face softened towards his boyfriend. "...Thank you, Brock. Just... let me stay for a little bit longer, okay?" 

"...Okay."

* * *

 

"Ohm-- Calm down, take a deep breath!" Bryce held his hands up towards the shorter man, in an attempt to calm him down but a simple slap to his hands immediately made Bryce back off.

"I CAN'T calm down! We have to go and get them, NOW. Something happened to them, I HEARD them screaming on the phone, Bryce!" Ryan was frantic, already trying to push past the taller to head for the exit. His breathing quickened and his eyes watered, because his friends were dying. It was happening again. Their other friends were involved now and they were going to die.

_They're going to die just like the rest._

_It'll be your fault, Ryan. All your fault._

_Is it even worth it anymore?_

Bryce grabbed Ryan's hand and pulled him back, grabbing onto his shoulders to make the other face him. A quick hand gently placed itself on his chin and at any other time, the action could have been seen as intimate. Bryce didn't seem to care, however. All he focused on was to keep Ryan's eyes on him for that moment, to try and calm him down enough to continue.

"Ryan, breathe with me, okay? Just breathe with me." His hand slowly moved to Ryan's cheek, thumb stroking just beneath his eye gently. "Breathe with me. We... we can't panic and just run off. Remember what I said. We need to stick together and work together to get out of here. So here's what we're going to do..."

He waited for a moment, watching as Ryan's eyes darted away from the hallway in favor of focusing on Bryce's own blue eyes. His breathing was still frantic and unsteady but Bryce knew he, at least, had his attention. 

And yet, something in the back of his mind itched. He took in Ryan's features, round cheeks blotched red from tears, and his bright brown eyes wet and red. Something about being this close to Ryan's face seemed familiar. In his mind, he thought of this exact pained expression, speckled with dry blood and smeared with dust and it made him sick to his stomach.

It only made the urge to get Ryan out of here safely that much stronger. 

"We're going to get Delirious and Vanoss-- Uh. I mean, Jonathan and Evan... and we're going to go to the exit together to save your friends. We'll save them and make a run for it. We're going to get out of here, Ryan. We're going to get out of here, tonight." Bryce willed himself to put every bit of confidence he could muster into those words. Ryan needed every bit of it right now. "Especially you. I'm going to make sure that you get out of here, safely. I'm going to get you home to Buddy, I promise..."

Ryan's breathing finally slowed as he stared into Bryce's blue eyes, eyes still wet with worried tears. He reached up and rested his hand over the one holding his cheek and seemed to relax under Bryce's touch. Bryce brushed his thumb across Ryan's cheek again, both of them sitting in the silence as Ryan began to calm down. Finally, Ryan closed his eyes gently, took a deep breath and then slowly turned his head to press a soft kiss against Bryce's palm, in gratitude.

Upon feeling soft lips against his hand, Bryce thought he would have a heart attack. 

And then he DID have a heart attack when the nearby door slammed open with urgency.

His hand snatched away from Ryan, earning a disappointed look from the other but a loud voice quickly gained both of their attentions. Jonathan hurried out of the room with a cellphone in one hand and Evan's hand in the other. Jonathan froze for a moment, when he spotted Ryan and Bryce but whatever he wanted to say was quickly pushed away for a more important matter.

"Ryan!" He called out, letting go of Evan's hand in favor of running towards the bunny hooded man with relief on his face. Arms wrapped around the other's neck, tightly before he just as quickly pulled away. 

"J... Delirious, what--?" Ryan grabbed onto Jonathan's arms, confusion spreading across his face. "How'd you know my name?"

"I remember everything, Ryan! I remembered who I was-- Who I am." Jonathan pulled away, glancing towards Evan, who seemed a bit confused as well. "Evan doesn't remember, but I told him enough to keep him settled. But that's not the point, I--"

Ryan cut him off. "Oh my God..." His voice cracked, tears appearing again. "Jonathan, I'm-- I'm really happy, really, but we don't have time for this!"

"I know! Luke is here! They're in trouble!" 

"You know?! Did he call you--"

"Did he call you?!"

Both Jonathan and Ryan were both rambling in a slight panic now, and Bryce couldn't blame them. Anyone in their right mind would panic with so much going on and with so much information to take in. But at the moment, five other people could be in danger and as much as he wanted to know how Delirious had gotten his memories back, it had to wait. 

"Guys, we have to go now! We can talk about it along the way or afterwards, but right now, we have to go!" Bryce stepped between them, placing a hand on both of their shoulders with a frown. The boys both went quiet both staring at each other with a simple look of understanding. They knew this could wait.

"Um... Ohm?" Vanoss spoke up, uncertainty clear in his voice. "The guy on the phone mentioned being near the back exit. That's where we were headed in the first place, right?"

Ryan and Bryce both glanced at Vanoss, taking note of the clear confusion in his eyes. It further proved that so far, Jonathan was the only one to regain his memories. Ryan nodded silently, turning on his heel to lead the way.

"Yeah, it's this way but we gotta hurry." He gave one final look towards Jonathan. "Jon, are you good to run?" 

"If it was any other situation? No. Never." Jonathan grinned just slightly before hurrying towards Ryan. "But since it's Luke, I guess I can." 

Ryan smiled slightly, making Bryce's chest warm up. He seemed relieved to have that familiarity between him and one of their friends again. How long ago did he last have that familiar friendship? 

"Alright, c'mon, it's a little ways but if we run, we'll get there soon. Be ready for anything."

* * *

 

Surprisingly, Luke managed to safely climb down into the bottom of the basement without breaking something. He kept as quiet as possible as he placed his feet firmly on the ground, the only noises being the cracking of old broken wood, that had fallen from above, when he stepped on it. 

He steadied his breathing and let his eyes adjust to the darkness as best as they could while he listened for any signs of the creature or Tyler. He heard nothing. He's not sure if that's a good sign or a horrible one. He dug into his pocket, pulling his phone out and with a swipe of the finger, his blinding screen turned on. Squinting, he quickly went into his apps and found the flashlight. When it popped on, he blinked a few times to get over the sudden blinding light before looking around the room. 

Or... cave.

He was really expecting a basement down below, with stone walls and old boxes filled with junk, maybe a creepy spiderweb or two but as he looked around with the flashlight, he just saw a giant system of caves and he wondered just how far they went. 

But he didn't have the time to be worrying about that. The creature or Tyler were nowhere to be seen and again, he didn't have a clue if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He examined the floor as best as he could with his flashlight, and thankfully there wasn't a drop of blood to be seen and if Brian was anything to go by, this creature liked to make a mess with his kills. 

So, maybe that meant that Tyler got up and ran away the first chance he could get? He hoped that was the case but now it was a matter of which way he went. Pursing his lips, he took a glance towards the right, and then the left as he tried to decide which way his friend would have gone.

That's when he spotted a shattered cellphone on the right path. 

He hurried over towards the broken device, picking it up to look it over. This was most definitely the same phone Tyler was using when talking to Ryan. Maybe he dropped it when he ran away? He shined his flashlight towards the darkness ahead and took a deep breath before sprinting down the path.

"Tyler, you better be okay." He didn't want to be the one to drag his dead body back to Craig. He really didn't.


	23. Reluctance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter. ...Sorry for the chapter in general. The ending gets a bit... Yeah. Sorry in advance - <3 Crest

Craig seemed to feel a weight be lifted off of his shoulders once he quietly crept out of the house and back towards the front yard. The heavy and tense air inside of the building, along with the large sense of doom that followed was enough to make the man seem like he was suffocating. Actually being outside and away from the killer creature was enough to make him feel safe, for now. 

Still, as much as his instincts screamed at him to take their van and drive away as fast as possible, he forced himself to stay exactly where he was and instead, searched the back of the vehicle for the first aid kit that Brock had mentioned. He quickly opened it to do a quick check of what was inside as he thought back to his two friends that he had left behind.

Brock, still shaken from the attack, had taken the wounded Brian to a room that he had deemed safe and told Craig that he would wait there until he came back with the stuff needed to fix Brian up. At least until they found Tyler and the rest, and were able to get the hurt man to a hospital. Craig hesitantly agreed, before giving away any ammo that he held onto for Luke and Tyler, keeping the bat for himself. 

Brock insisted that they would be fine, but Craig still couldn't help but feel nervous about leaving a jelly-legged Brock behind with his wounded boyfriend. He could only hope that adrenaline was a real concept and that it would be enough for both Brock and Brian to make a run for it.

He sighed and tried to shake the worry from his mind, in favor of taking note of the supplies in front of him. "Okay... Thread and needle... Good, need that. I hope Brock can stitch stuff. Scissors... Might need that? I don't know..." He picked up a bottle and looked it over with a squint. "Painkillers... Brian's gonna get high as shit. Oh boy. Uhh... Bandages, definitely need that. I think this is all I need." 

He quietly went over the rest of the items before closing the kit and crawling back out of the van. With his bat in one hand and the kit in the other, he looked back at the mansion with a look of apprehension. His heart did flips as he willed himself to head back around to the backyard. He had everything he needed, now he just needed to make it back to Brock and Brian safely. 

After that, he was hoping to convince the Irishman and his boyfriend to leave for the hospital and leave him to go and find Luke and Tyler. 

...He was hoping the painkillers would help.

\---

It wasn't very long before Luke found where the cave and the basement merged. Rocky terrain turned into pieces of old and moldy pieces of wood, which eventually lead to the evened out floor of the basement. He had been running for a while, with no sign of Tyler or the demon and he's still unsure about whether or not this could be considered a good or bad thing.

The basement was dark and dusty, like you would expect and it was extremely cold. There was something not right about it, but that could easily be said about the entire house. But still, Luke kept his guard up, holding his hand gun close to him as he slowly trudged through the basement. 

He hoped that Brock, Brian and Craig had found the others and were working on getting them out by now but if he knew anything about Jonathan and Ryan, it would be that they were too stubborn for their own damn good. Hopefully Craig wouldn't have too much trouble getting them to leave...

He comes across a door, old and rackety and he really wants to ignore it and continue on his way but something about it speaks to him. Something about it screams at him to enter the room. So, he reached forward and hesitantly opens the door before making his way down the dark hallway the stood behind it. 

He's hesitant and if he focuses, he can see his breath fog up in front of him. With every step he takes, he gets colder and colder and he suddenly feels as if he wasn't alone anymore. He stopped immediately, twisting around to watch behind him but so far, he saw nothing. He took a shaking breath and continued his way through the hall. 

It was pitch black now and the floor groaned under his feet. He wanted to turn back but Tyler could very well be down this hallway and he wasn't leaving without Tyler in tow. It was freezing now and Luke strained his eyes to see before reaching into his pocket to grab for his phone. 

He froze when he heard a sharp intake of breath next to him followed by a deep, deformed whisper. 

" **H** E _l_ **p**.. **m** e..." 

A giant hand grabbed onto the foot of his jeans and he screamed.

\---

Brock gently ran his fingers through Brian's hair, staring down at his face as the other laid his head into his lap. Every so often, Brian would let out a strained grunt or a weak whimper at the pain shooting through his shoulder. Brock, at one point, tried to clean the wound as best as he could and examined the bite and was horrified to see that the creature had nearly torn Brian's entire arm off.

Feeling his heart sink, he held back tears as he ran a bloody hand down Brian's cheek. "You're an idiot... Why would-- Why would you ever think to do that?" He whispered to his boyfriend, earning a guilty look in return. "Brian, we really need to get you to a hospital... You could die from this, don't you understand that...?!"

Brian moved his other hand and placed it over the bite, cringing slightly. "...Better me than you--"

"Shut the fuck up, Brian!" Brock snapped, cutting him off real quick. "Don't you fucking _dare_ say that..."

Brian stayed silent, staring up at Brock with worry and pain on his face. 

Brock was panicking. He was scared. Craig and himself would not be able to fully fix Brian's shoulder but the man was too stubborn to even think about leaving to go to the hospital. If he were to die because of this bite, then he would be guilty, not to mention  _devastated_ , for the rest of his life. That was something he would have to live with and he refused to let that happen.

"When Craig gets here, we're stitching you up and we're going to the hospital." Brock demanded, glaring down at Brian who began to protest. Brock refused to hear it. "Me and you are _leaving_ , Brian. I don't care how badly you want to stay for the others, it's not happening."

"But Brock--"

"We're DONE talking about this!" Brock's hand twitched in Brian's hair and he quickly pulled the offending hand away. "You can't even sit up by yourself, much less help us find the others! If that thing comes back, Brian, we're both dead, do you understand? I can't save you and defend myself as well and I'm NOT letting you die. So if you die, I die. Do you want that?"

Brock's face fell instantly, staring at Brock in horror as he thought of the possibility of that happening. "N...No, Brock, no, I don't. I just... I hate that feeling that... I'm useless..." He mumbled, and Brock's glare softened.

"You're not useless. You're never useless." Brock started, moving a strand of hair from Brian's face. "You saved my life. I'm alive and here because of you, you know..."

Brock watched as a stream of emotions washed over Brian's face. Hopelessness, realization, sadness and then finally a little bit of hope. As Brock watched him, he tried to understand what was going through that head of his. Tried to understand his concerns and his realizations. 

Finally, Brian had a weak but cocky grin on his face as he reached up and ran his bloodied hand against Brock's cheek. Brock smiled and held onto that hand, trying to ignore the foul smell of blood and for a moment, they sat there in silence, trying to enjoy the fact that they were both still here. They were alive, for now, and Brock wanted it to stay that way.

"I'm so glad you're alive, Brocky..." Brian mumbled, closing his eyes. There was hesitation before his next words but Brock had never been so glad to hear them. "...I'll go to the hospital... when Craig comes back... Will you take me?" 

Brock smiled widely, quickly leaning down to catch Brian's lips in a kiss. It barely lasted a second before Brock pulled away, running his free hand through Brian's hair again. "Yeah, I will... I'm going to take you to the hospital and then I'm calling the cops to come and make sure everyone else gets out. They can't use the excuse _'It doesn't exist'_ anymore because I know exactly where this mansion is now. I remember every turn and every mile... Don't worry." 

Brian nodded, glad to hear the plan from Brock. "...Make sure they bring guns..."

"Of course." Brock agreed, eventually moving out from beneath Brian to prepare to leave. He sat Brian up against the wall, apologizing with worry when he whined in pain, and wrapped the nearby blankets around his arm and shoulder. 

Once Craig returned, they would have to work fast to patch up the wound as best as they could and then quickly get the man into the car. It would be entirely up to Craig if he wanted to go or wait for everyone else but he really did hope that Craig would just decide to come with them, for his safety.

But then what would happen to Ryan, Evan, Jon and Bryce? What would happen if they showed up at the exit and they weren't there? What would happen if Luke and Tyler never showed up? What if they were dead? The thoughts alone sent panic and dread through Brock's mind. What should they do...?

"Brock...?" Brian spoke up but at the moment, his voice went ignored. 

Maybe Brock could stay behind and wait for the others. He was starting to calm down enough and with Brian being taken to the hospital by Craig, he would be able to focus more... Plus he did have this gun with bullets to spare. Maybe he could cover everyone as they escaped...

"Brock? Hey--" Brian's voice sounded so much urgent, quickly catching Brock's attention. 

"Huh? What?"  
  
Brian tried to sit up, grabbing his shoulder carefully with his eyes glued on the door. Brock just as quickly turned towards the door and if he listened hard, he could hear the creaks of someone walking down the hall, slowly. Caution shot through his body as he waved a hand for Brian to stay quiet. He reached over and quickly locked the door and stood back as he waited for something to happen.

It could be Craig, but he could never be too careful, especially when he had Brian to think about. Behind him, Brian grabbed onto his shirt and peered out from behind the shorter man, and they sat in complete silence for a while. The footsteps had long stopped at the door and the tension between the two boys could be cut with a knife.  
  
Relief settled immediately when Craig's voice piped up from behind the door. _"Brock, it's me! Open up!"_  
  
Brian's grip loosened and he let go entirely as Brock let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, thank god, it's only Craig..." He said, turning to smile at Brian before moving towards the door. "We can get you patched up and then get you to the hospital now..."  
  
Brian gave a grunt of approval as Brock reached for the door knob, but a sudden scream (a familiar voice that was a lot further away than originally thought) made him stop in his tracks, followed by a loud thud of a metal bat hitting flesh. 

"BROCK, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" 

\---

"...Ryan, I just..." 

Ryan's face twisted slightly as he stared at the disbelief written on Jonathan's and Evan's face. As they hurried towards the exit, Ryan and Bryce did their best to catch Jonathan and Evan up on the story that Bryce had heard a bit ago. Bryce gave a sympathetic look towards Ryan, and for a moment, he considered reaching over to hold the hand that shook ever so slightly with every word he said. 

Something held him back, and it was agonizing.

"Two months... You were dealing with this by yourself for two months..." Jonathan whispered in shock as he glanced over at Evan, who could only stare down at his feet. 

Ryan shifted uncomfortably. "You guys have been dealing with the monster too, you know..." 

"That's... That's not what I mean..." 

Ryan had been suffering death after death, each event marked permanently in his mind. Jonathan, Bryce and Evan had the pleasure of forgetting most, if not all, deaths and losses. Sure, Jonathan remembered Evan's death and his own death, and that alone was enough to traumatize the man for the rest of his life. He couldn't imagine two months of this torture.

He didn't even know how to handle the fact that Ryan made a damn deal with this demon. He was upset, irrational and everything must have seemed hopeless. It was a last resort but it put Ryan in danger. More than the rest of them. Not to mention, Jon was concerned about what would happen if Ryan were to get caught...

Ryan seemed to consider Jonathan's words, wrapping arms around himself as he hurried ahead, in an effort to get to the others as fast as they possibly could. "Listen, I-I'll be okay... You're all here now, that's what matters..."

"It doesn't change the fact that you suffered through that, Ohm..." Evan finally spoke up, reaching over to place a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "But now that we know, we can try and prevent this shit from happening again..."

Ryan didn't seem very convinced, and he quickly pulled away from Evan's grasp. Evan pulled his hand away before giving a confused stare towards Jon, as if he were unsure of what to do. Bryce couldn't blame him. Jonathan was the only person to fully regain his memories and likely the only person who had any clue on how to calm Ryan down.

_**"We're going to get Delirious and Vanoss-- Uh. I mean, Jonathan and Evan... and we're going to go to the exit together to save your friends. We'll save them and make a run for it. We're going to get out of here, Ryan. We're going to get out of here, tonight." Bryce willed himself to put every bit of confidence he could muster into those words. Ryan needed every bit of it right now. "Especially you. I'm going to make sure that you get out of here, safely. I'm going to get you home to Buddy, I promise..."**_  
  
_**Ryan's breathing finally slowed as he stared into Bryce's blue eyes, eyes still wet with worried tears. He reached up and rested his hand over the one holding his cheek and seemed to relax under Bryce's touch. Bryce brushed his thumb across Ryan's cheek again, both of them sitting in the silence as Ryan began to calm down. Finally, Ryan closed his eyes gently, took a deep breath and then slowly turned his head to press a soft kiss against Bryce's palm, in gratitude.**_  
  
And yet, Bryce's actions from earlier seemed to have some sort of effect on the man. Maybe it was the promise to escape, or maybe it was the human contact that Ryan very much needed since this whole thing started. Or maybe, it was that invisible connection that he was beginning to feel-- No, that he had definitely felt since he first encountered Ryan. That urge to stay near him, always. The urge to protect him, no matter the cost.

What was with that urge?

 Why did it make him so much more nervous?

"I know it's hard to believe after so long, Ryan..." Bryce called out, noticing how Ryan's hard expression softened ever so slightly at the sound of his voice. "I would be hesitant too... But trust me on this. You're leaving this mansion, today. I promise. We're all leaving the mansion. I swear." 

Jonathan smiled and gave Ryan a rough pat on the back before slipping his hand into Evan's own hand. "We're already so close to the exit, right?" He asked, earning a small nod from Ryan. "Luke, Tyler and Brian are all REALLY fucking tough. Like tanks! I'm sure they're taking good care of Craig and Brock. I'm sure of it!" 

Bryce and Evan exchanged glances, lamenting the fact that they couldn't make themselves remember the names. It felt as if a huge part of their being was missing and there was nothing they could do about it. How exactly did Jonathan gain his memories back anyway? There were a lot of unanswered questions and it was frustrating to say the least.

"...Still, we shouldn't just lag about while they're in trouble. We need to hurry..." The words were spoken slowly from Evan's mouth but no sooner did the words leave him did a bloodcurdling scream tear through the house, causing everyone to freeze in fear. 

Everything was silent for a split second before Jonathan picked out the voice. "That... That was Craig..." He pointed out, eyes wide in concern. 

Ryan was the first to break out in a sprint. The others were quick the follow.

\---

As Craig hurried back inside, bat in one hand and medical kit in the other, a thought occurred to him that was enough to calm his anxiety. 

Their phones didn't seem to have service inside of the mansion, but despite that, they were able to call and communicate with Jonathan and Ryan through their cellphones. During the panic of Brock getting grabbed, Brian getting bit, Tyler falling and Luke going after him, the fact that they could simply communicate through their phones was something that had simply slipped his mind.

But, he could simply call or text Tyler or Luke to ask if they were okay, right? The thought alone was appealing and had Craig stop in his tracks, placing the medkit on the floor for a moment to dig out his phone. He swiped the screen, and typed into his contacts until he came to Tyler's name.

"...What if he's near the monster though...?" Craig wondered aloud, chewing his lip in thought. "That would give him away." 

_What if he's dead?_

"C'mon, Craig, don't think like that..." He scolded himself, deciding to call anyway. With any hope, Tyler's phone would be on vibrate.

_After all, it's not like he ever answers the fucking phone when I call, anyway..._

Maybe now wasn't the time to be bitter about his boyfriend's habits.

He pressed on Tyler's name, hitting the call button. He pressed it to his ear and waited with bated breath... only to be let down by the phone immediately going to voicemail. What did that even mean for Tyler, though? Did his phone die...?

He quickly opened up the messenger app, and typed a message to the man in question. Asking him where he was at, if he was okay, and telling him that Luke was coming to get him. He took a deep breath and quickly sent a quick message to Luke as well, asking about his progress. Finally, the phone was shoved back into his pocket and the medkit picked back up.

He'd check his phone after patching Brian up. He was sure that would give them enough time to respond. At least, that was the plan, but plans change and his plans definitely changed when he turned the corner only to see one of his current and worst fears become a reality.

Standing there, leaning heavily against the door that led to the room that Brock and Brian were currently staying in, was the large creature from before. Drool dripped from bloodstained teeth (was that Brian's blood...?) as it pressed it's face against the door, as if excited to get inside and collect it's prey. It sent chills down Craig's spine and he found himself unable to move. He only stood there, bat in one hand and medkit in the other, grip deadly tight on both of them.

Surely, he had to do something right? Make a noise and lead it away from Brock and Brian? He just had to think of an escape route--

The creature leaned back a little bit, grin widening and eyes squinting slightly, as if in joy and spoke in a voice that forced a gasp out of Craig's chest. _"Brock, it's me! Open up!"_ It's mouth barely moved and yet, it was able to mimic his own voice perfectly...? How could that be possible...?!

Craig's entire body went cold as he realized just what he was about to go against and every inch of his body wanted to leave. To run and never come back. But his brain screamed at him otherwise. His brain told him that he had to do something.

His brain told him that Brock was about to open the door.

"NO!" He screamed, dropping the medkit to the floor and suddenly, his body seemed to move on it's own. The creature slowly pushed itself away from the door, but not fast enough to stop Craig from running over and slamming the bat straight into the creature's ugly face. 

The creature cried out and stumbled back, both hands gripping it's face tightly before it just as quickly shook it off. Craig stood tall, bat in hand as he tried to keep distance between himself and the creature, only sparing on glance towards the door. "BROCK, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" He ordered, taking another step back from the beast. 

He had it's attention now. It was slowly trudging forward, mouth watering even more than before and it's eyes trained on every movement Craig made. From the door, he heard Brock's frantic rambling, demanding to know what was happening and for that split second, the creature's attention redirected towards the door and Craig took the chance to dive at it, swinging his bat as hard as he could. 

He failed. 

The creature snapped it's arm around, knocking Craig completely in his face and the poor boy was practically thrown across the hall with a pained grunt. The bat was tossed to the side with a loud, metallic clang. 

For a moment, Craig couldn't get himself to move. The blow to the head was too great and it left him in a daze. But he was lucky, he supposed. He could have very well broken his neck but instead, all he seemed to have was an extremely sore face, a gash to the forehead and possibly a broken nose. He got lucky, at the moment, anyway. 

As he struggled to sit up, the creature stomped it's way towards him and Craig suddenly regretted every brash decision he had ever made until that point in his life. He grunted in pain, biting his lip as he tried to push himself away from the creature that was reaching for him with such excitement on it's face. "No--no, no--" He whimpered out, hearing Brock call out for him again. 

"CRAIG?! Are you okay?!" The door was opening now and Craig immediately reached out, wanting to protest against it. 

"BROCK, DON'T--" The creature grabbed his leg tightly and pulled him across the floor, closer to it. Craig let out a cry and tried to crawl away, watching in terror as Brock ran out of the room, gun trained onto the back of the creature. "BROCK, FUCKING RUN--"

The gun fired and the creature stumbled forward, dropping Craig for that split second. The boy tried, once again, to crawl away but the demon refused to let that happen. Brock and Craig both watched as the creature let out a scream and raised both of it's hands into giant fists... before slamming both of them down onto Craig's leg, resulting in a sickening crack that echoed throughout the room. 

Craig's screams of agony filled up the entire hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sO SORRY CRAIG ;;; and Also, I wonder what's going on with Luke??? Hmmmmmmmmmm. :3c - <3 Crest


	24. AUTHOR'S NOTICE

Okay, So. I feel really guilty.

  
First of all, I wanna say that I'm super proud of how far I came with this story and how thankful I am that every one of you loved this story. It had it all! Suspension, angst, tension and romance attempting to bloom during all the blood and gloom. I had been wanting to write something like this FOR YEARS (Seriously! Every fandom I joined, I tried to write an Ao Oni AU for it. It never went past Chapter 1)

I started writing this while waiting for the Friday the 13th game to come out. I was new to the fandom, a bit antsy and cautious about writing a fanfiction for a fandom I had JUST joined. But once I got about four chapters in on one night, I just kinda fell into it. And the fact that so many people loved it an anticipated the next chapter definitely kept me going.

And then my motivation began to die out.

Chapters came out slower and slower, but it was fine. I had work, I was busy, it's a normal thing for writers. And thankfully everyone understood. I don't think I've gotten one rude comment about my story, telling me to hurry up or that it sucked (Seriously, thank you so much!).

I mean, I still worked on chapters, slowly but surely and I had almost everything planned out. I got SO SO SO close to the end of the story. Like seriously, I'm so close.

But then the Bryce and Ohm thing happened (that I'm not gonna talk too much about.) and I just got too uncomfortable to continue. My motivation died out completely. After all, it's hard to finish writing the story that literally revolves around them (and Delirious and Vanoss of course!). 

I still open the document from time to time, and I write one or two words before closing the document and I'm not sure if it's going to change. Maybe I'll get the motivation back. Maybe I'll rewatch HetaOni or replay Ao Oni to see if that changes but probably not. 

So, to answer the question everyone's probably been wondering: At the moment, no. I don't plan on finishing the story and I'm so so so sorry. 

Will it change? Maybe. I don't know. But will it anytime soon? I dunno, maybe. Maybe I can make myself power through one day. 

But at the moment, I kinda wanna focus on recreating my Superhero AU and work on Red Forest, if possible. And i might post my oneshots here that I've posted on Tumblr. 

**So, TL;DR: This story is now under an Indefinite Hiatus.** Please forgive me :'c And give my other fanfics a shot, especially if you like Ohmtoonz! (its kinda a big thing for me now.) I'd appreciate the support on those!

\- <3 Crest


End file.
